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Shashi Sumeet Productions eyes regional market and digital in 2020
MUMBAI: Back in 2015, Shashi Sumeet Productions was featured in the ‘Limca Books of Record’ for running back to back shows in primetime slots on various Hindi GECs. Now, the company is aiming to create a similar trend in the regional space. It has already made its move by entering Kannada, Telugu and Bangla markets this year and going forward in 2020 the company will also produce shows for Telugu and Malayalam markets.
The company is all set to launch a new Bengali show Ki Kore Bolbo Tomay on 16 December at 10 pm on Zee Bangla. Ki Kore Bolbo Tomay is the second Bengali show from the production house after Asha Lata which was aired on Sun Bangla. It also launched Kannada show Nanu Nanna Kanasu on Udaya TV and Telugu show Abhilasha on Gemini TV.
Ki Kore Bolbo Tomay is a love story about a strange relationship that converts into a beautiful one gradually. It will be aired from 16 December at 10 pm on ZEE Bangla.
The vision for 2020 is to focus on Hindi GEC, regional and digital.
Shashi Sumeet Productions founder Sumeet Mittal informs, “In 2020 we will be entering the Tamil and Malayalam spaces as well. I am in talks with the other south channels,” says Mittal.
“Right now the idea is to be present on every platform. If we are able to handle Hindi GEC, regional and digital well, we will have multiple avenues and platforms for revenue,” Mittal opines.
All the shows that are created, have a two-pronged approach. Even though they are created primarily for TV, they should appeal to digital audiences as well. OTT-exclusive original shows will commence from next year. Earlier it had produced a series called Untag on VOOT in 2016.
In Hindi GEC, the production house has launched its new show Shubharam for Colors on 2 December. “Shubharam has the potential to be a longer running series because the characters are very relatable and we could see lovely characters like Raja and Rani in real life also,” he expressed.
Speaking on his journey, Mittal says, "I am happy because we could create various stories. I always wanted to create different stories which we could enjoy making rather than going to the audience and asking for response.”
He concludes, “If I talk about our shows like Diya Aur Bati Hum, Punar Vivaah, etc. we tried to make shows different than regular shows. The storytelling was not regular. So as a maker we always try to create a different set of stories, whether it works or not. We will always try to make new kinds of stories.”
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Banijay merges with All3Media in $6.65 billion deal
Marco Bassetti will lead the combined company as CEO
PARIS: Six years after acquiring Endemol Shine at the height of the pandemic, Banijay has struck again. The European production heavyweight is merging with All3Media in a deal that will create a television titan with $6.65 billion in revenue and redraw the contours of a fast-consolidating market.
The combined company will trade under the Banijay name and be owned 50 per cent each by Banijay Group and RedBird IMI, which acquired All3Media in 2024. The transaction is expected to close by autumn, subject to regulatory approvals.
Banijay Entertainment CEO Marco Bassetti, will take the top job at the enlarged group. All3Media CEO Jane Turton becomes deputy CEO. RedBird IMI CEO Jeff Zucker will serve as chairman.
The logic is scale. Broadcasters are commissioning less, streamers are tightening budgets and global buyers are fewer but bigger. Against that backdrop, heft matters. The merged entity will generate roughly $6.65 billion in revenues based on 2024 figures, giving it sharper elbows in rights negotiations and deeper pockets for franchise-building.
“Entrepreneurialism, ambition and creativity” remain core to Banijay’s DNA, Bassetti said, flagging plans to invest more heavily in new intellectual property, live events and emerging platforms. Turton struck a similarly bullish note, pointing to All3Media’s journey from a 2003 start-up to a global supplier of hit formats and high-end drama.
Between them, the two groups control a formidable slate. Banijay’s catalogue spans MasterChef, Big Brother, Survivor, Black Mirror, Peaky Blinders and Deal or No Deal. All3Media’s labels include Studio Lambert, producer of The Traitors and Squid Game: The Challenge; Two Brothers, behind The Tourist; and Neal Street, currently producing the forthcoming Beatles biopics directed by Sam Mendes for Sony.
The back catalogue is equally muscular. Banijay Rights holds some 220,000 hours, while All3Media International adds around 35,000 hours, forming one of the industry’s largest libraries.
Banijay, controlled by French entrepreneur Stéphane Courbit and listed in Amsterdam, counts more than 130 production companies across 25 territories. All3Media operates over 40 labels, with strong positions in the UK, US and Germany. The enlarged group will also lean into live entertainment, building on Banijay’s Balich Wonder Studio, which produced the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, and the Independents.
The deal marks a shift in tone. As recently as October, Bassetti suggested that mergers and acquisitions were not a priority. But the drumbeat of consolidation has grown louder. Mediawan has moved for Peter Chernin’s North Road. David Ellison’s Paramount has agreed to a $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros, with plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount plus. ITV has explored selling its media and entertainment arm to Comcast-owned Sky, though talks have reportedly slowed.
