Fiction
Sky Studios CEO Gary Davey to step down by next summer
MUMBAI: Sky Studios, the production arm of Comcast-owned European pay TV giant Sky, has confirmed that its chief executive officer Gary Davey would step down next year.
In the meantime, he will continue to lead the team until a new CEO is appointed and leave the company next summer.
"I wanted to let you know that I have decided to step down as CEO of Sky Studios in 2021. When we launched Sky Studios last June, I could not have dreamed where we would be right now. And I don’t just mean Covid2019. In 18 short months, we have created a strong, creative organisation that has broken the mould of how studio businesses work in Europe,” said Gary Davey.
He added: "We have produced ambitious, original series that are loved by our customers and viewers around the world. The fact that nine of the top 10 shows viewed on Sky in the UK this year are Sky Originals, speaks for itself. At the same time, this year we have delivered 29 series to 15 US networks and platforms."
Davey further mentioned, "not every show has been a ratings hit, but looking back, I have no regrets for any of our green-lights."
In his note, he also revealed that "next year Sky Studios will become profitable," noting that "the year after we will open the doors to Sky Studios Elstree, a huge, long-term investment in Sky’s original content ambition, enabling us to truly fulfil our potential as we look to more than double our investment by 2024."
Sky group CEO Jeremy Darroch in an internal note praised Davey for his distinguished career. Said he: "He has uniquely worked across all of our markets, having led the successful launch of Sky Italia’s terrestrial TV network, cielo, in 2009 before joining Sky Deutschland as executive VP, programming in 2011. Gary returned to Sky UK in 2015 as managing director of content, transforming our push into bold, original programming, and in 2019 took on a new challenge as CEO of Sky Studios."
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.
