Fiction
Experience first-hand India’s historic Military Operation in a gripping new documentary
MUMBAI: On 18 September 2016, four Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists attacked an Indian Army Garrison in the town of Uri, Jammu and Kashmir. 19 Indian soldiers were martyred in the Fidayeen attack. Eleven days later, the Indian Army carried out a series of deadly strikes across the Line of Control. This Counter Terrorist Operation is better known as the Surgical Strikes. HISTORY TV18’s ground-breaking documentary brings to life the planning and execution of the daring operation. The special programme tells the true story of the secret operation, with dramatic recreations and first-person accounts of key decision makers in the government, the military top brass and the Special Forces operatives who led the strikes.
Special Operations: India ‘Surgical Strikes’, premieres on Indian television, exclusively on HISTORY TV18 on 22 January, 2018 at 9 PM.
The documentary follows two of the Indian Army’s elite Paratrooper Special Forces Strike Teams on their missions – to carry out precision strikes on Terrorist Launchpads in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. The story is re-lived by those who were directly involved in the military operation. They reveal what actually happened behind the scenes and on the ground.
The programme features some of the most respected names in India’s National Security Establishment. Mr. Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor to the Government of India, Mr. Manohar Parrikar, Former Defence Minister and General Dalbir Singh, Former Chief of Army Staff among others, shedding light on how the drama unfolded. Defence analyst and author, Nitin Gokhale also shares his views on the subject.
Speaking about the programme Network18, Managing Director, A+E Networks| TV18 & President, Avinash Kaul said, “With Surgical Strikes, HISTORY TV18 embarks on the next stage of its content evolution which involves pushing the envelope on pioneering, differentiated content that reflects contemporary history and has had an impact on the nation’s collective consciousness”
India’s military action was surgical – swift, effective and precise. Its heroes – India’s warriors, who stand ready to answer the call of duty anywhere, anytime to serve and protect the motherland. The special programme salutes the courage and capabilities of the Indian Army, while staying true to the facts of what transpired.
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.
