Fiction
TV producers back on sets with safety protocols
MUMBAI: After a long hiatus of three months following the nationwide lockdown, the entertainment industry is finally back on track. After resolving the outstanding issues IFTPC (Indian Film and Television Producers Council), FWICE (Federation of Western India Cine Employees) and CINTAA (Cine and TV Artistes’ Association) have agreed to work in unison.
Among television shows, Colors’ Shakti-Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki, Choti Sarrdaarni, Barrister Babu and Dangal TV’s Pyar Ki Luka Chuppi have already begun shoots.
Hats Off Productions founder and Indian Film & Television Producers’ Council (IFTPC) chairman TV wing JD Majethia is ecstatic to start work. In a special interaction with indiantelevision.com Majethia said that it was a long-fought battle that has been won. He played an active role in bringing together television producers, broadcasters and trade associations to resume shooting.
“It was a long chase because seeking government permission, coordinating with broadcasters and other trade unions was very challenging. Finally, we have come to common terms,” he says.
He mentions that IFTPC has agreed to provide two sets of insurance coverage i.e., death cover of Rs 25 lakh due to Covid2019 and also hospitalisation cover of Rs 2 lakh uniformly across all hierarchy of the cast and crew. After a detailed discussion with broadcasters a decision was taken to reduce the period of credit for cast and crew from existing 90 days to 30 days for at least the first three months.
Majethia has resumed the shooting of his show Bhakarwadi in Mira Road almost after 100 days. As per the government directives Majethia had called only 40 people on the set including original cast of Bhojani, Akshay Kelkar, Akshita Mudgal, Paresh Ganatra and few technicians. However, the strength of 100 crew members has now been reduced to 40.
As a safety measure, separate lockers have been installed at the entrance. Before the cast and crew members enter the set, they have to remove their footwear and wear the pair of slippers provided by the production house. Majethia has a unique solution to maintain social distancing, he has provided umbrellas that everybody walks around with in the premise. He highlights that there is a designated marked position for everyone, and the actors and crew members will have to sit only in the allocated areas. There is a nurse available on the set who checks everyone’s temperature before letting them in. It is mandatory for actors to wear masks and gloves when not filming a scene. But other crew members have to sport them all day long.
He explains, “Earlier, people would share gutkha, other nicotine products and smoke on sets. We have introduced a concept called share a sanitiser. Now, exchange of any nicotine products or chewing gum is strictly banned; they are only allowed to share sanitisers. At lunch, the unit was served packed food thus avoiding crowding.”
As far as travelling is concerned, actors are using their private vehicles to travel and crew who are travelling from far have been asked to stay on the set. Also a separate make-up kit has been allotted to each actor. Sanitation and fumigation are done twice a day.
Sphere Origins founder Sunjoy Waddhwa has resumed shooting for his show Singhalagna in Kolkata. As per the West Bengal government guidelines, all safety measures and protocols are strictly followed. However, he will start shooting in Mumbai only after September.
Creative Eye Limited MD Dheeraj Kumar explains that the production house is in the planning mode and shooting will be started in the next ten days. He is currently working on a show for Dangal. Preparations involving sanitisation, other SOP measures gathering technicians has been done.
Rashmi Sharma Telefilms founder Rashmi Sharma shared a glimpse of the shooting for her show Pyaar Ki Luka Chuppi on Instagram. She was among the first few producers to start shooting in Mumbai. The show is filmed at Naigaon.
Shashi Sumeet Productions’ shows Barrister Babu and Shubharambh have also started shooting.
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.
