Fiction
Sidelined by Bollywood, Marathi content will be redefined by Planet Marathi, says Akshay Bardapurkar
Thiruvananthapuram: The Marathi entertainment industry has often failed to get due recognition, despite producing quality content for years now, thanks to the overshadowing glitz and glamour of Bollywood, according to Planet Marathi’s founder Akshay Bardapurkar.
Planet Marathi was therefore launched in 2017 by Bardapurkar, as a nodal digital platform to not only connect Marathi speaking audiences across the world, but also redefine the reach and popularity of quality Marathi content.
Celebrating its fourth anniversary, and through the course of these years, Bardapurkar and his team have successfully emerged as one of the most noted production houses in the Marathi industry. In 2020, Amitabh Bachchan made his debut in Marathi filmdom with the movie, ‘AB Aani CD’ under the banner of Planet Marathi. The company has also launched an initiative named ‘Planet Talent’, with the aim of according due recognition to and highlighting supremely talented artistes from Maharashtra.
Talking about Bollywood under shadowing Marathi content, Bardapurkar said, “Marathi filmmakers are among the best, and globally renowned for their work. The Marathi industry was undermined due to several factors. The problem was that Marathi always lacked the branding and packaging, which the other regional players like in Tamil and Telugu, have never refrained from. They have created the stardom which is a requisite (component of industry). They branded their products very well. This is what we intend to do by creating varied content in Marathi. We are sure that we will be able to match up to Bollywood or even any other regional languages in the future.”
Bardapurkar, in association with actor Pushkar Shrotri and music composer Aditya Oak, plans to launch an OTT platform exclusively dedicated to Marathi content. The OTT platform was originally scheduled to launch in May, but the second wave of the Corona virus of 2019 resulted in the launch of Planet Marathi OTT being postponed. Despite tight competition from mega players like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+Hotstar, Bardapurkar is quite confident about the Marathi OTT platform being able to affirm its position in the market through the strategic use of unique content for audiences.
“Technology is at the highest level today. Language is not a barrier on OTT platforms. Films released on OTT are considered world movies, just like we watch Latin, Spanish, and Korean films. I believe Marathi films with English subtitles will attract global audiences. We have (a large pool) of talent, and it is necessary to market it wisely. However, we should make sure that the content is crisper,” added Bardapurkar.
An official announcement regarding the re-scheduled launch of the OTT platform is expected to be made in the near future.
Bardapurkar revealed that he does not visualize a target audience while creating content, and emphatically states that content offered by Planet Marathi will cater to the needs of people, irrespective of age demographics.
Apart from creating original movies, Planet Marathi also plans to launch many non-fiction shows, and games. According to Bardapurkar, Planet Marathi’s OTT platform will not just be an OTT platform uploaded with movies, but instead, it will be a super-platform offering non-fiction shows ranging from music contests to cookery shows.
Bardapurkar revealed that his company has successfully laid the foundation, over the past four years, for the future to witness a creative movement that will open up a world of high-quality Marathi content for global audiences.
Fiction
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.
