Fiction
Thanigasalam Murugadass joins Zee Studios as associate director – marketing (South)
MUMBAI: Zee Studios has added fresh firepower to its southern operations with the appointment of Thanigasalam Murugadass as associate director – marketing, South. Based in Chennai, Murugadass will spearhead marketing for theatrical and studio-led film releases across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the wider southern market.
With more than 14 years of experience spanning print, digital, television and outdoor media, Murugadass brings a rare, full-spectrum understanding of how audiences discover, consume and connect with stories. His new role will focus on building integrated, audience-first campaigns that translate cinematic vision into box-office buzz.
Calling the move a “full-circle moment”, Murugadass said he was excited to step into studio and theatrical marketing after a career that began in print and evolved across platforms and formats. “As I step into studio and theatrical marketing, my focus will be on driving integrated, audience-first strategies that celebrate cinema and bring powerful stories to the big screen,” he said.
Before joining Zee Studios, Murugadass spent nearly four years at Zee5, where he led Avod marketing and growth strategies for Tamil Nadu and Kerala. His work blended data-led performance marketing with sharp regional storytelling, helping drive consistent growth across key engagement and revenue metrics. His efforts earned him multiple Zee Olympian awards for execution excellence.
Earlier, he was part of the core launch team for Colors Tamil at Viacom18, playing a key role in taking the channel to a top-four position among Tamil general entertainment channels within months of launch. His career also includes stints with Times Ooh, Metro Multimedia and the Times Group, giving him deep roots across both content and commerce.
At Zee Studios, Murugadass will work closely with creative, distribution and business teams to craft culturally relevant campaigns that move seamlessly from screen to cinema hall. With his blend of storytelling instinct and marketing rigour, Zee Studios is clearly betting on a marketer who knows how to make audiences stop, watch and care.
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.
