Fiction
TV shooting to resume in Mumbai from 25 June
KOLKATA: As the Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC), Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and Cine and TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) have amicably resolved the outstanding issues, shootings will restart in Mumbai from Thursday, 25 June. Earlier, FWICE and CINTAA raised several concerns with broadcasters and producers and a difference in opinions were setting an uncertainty despite having permission.
"Shootings will restart tomorrow. Whatever was possible has been done; whatever condition is feasible for the industry has been met. We all are working for that. We were focusing on insurance. We have all come up with the right conclusion. Right now, there will be indoor shootings. Tomorrow, TV shooting is starting. Other shootings in controlled atmosphere will start at the earliest. Who ever has met with the SOPs required by government can start,” IFTPC hairman TV wing JD Majethia said speaking to Indiantelevision.com.
IFTPC 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. Apart from the insurance, IFTPC also assured that every precaution as per the government’s guidelines will be put in place to ensure utmost safety for the entire cast and and crew.
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; mutually negotiated pay cuts without actors facing any sanctions and continued dialogue with all parties for easing working conditions were also agreed to, without delaying the resumption of shootings.
IFTPC acknowledged the contributions of CINTAA and FWICE who in these extraordinary situation showed exemplary understanding and maturity in the workers and the national interest. In total solidarity and bonhomie the stakeholders IFTPC, CINTAA, FWICE and broadcasters announced that the shooting will begin immediately and a new saga will unfold in every household soon.
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.
