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IFTPC thanks Maharashtra govt, producers in fast-racking resumption of shoots
MUMBAI: In a major relief for all daily soap viewers, TV broadcasters will roll out fresh content from 13 July.
Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC), in its press release today, thanked all the TV producers, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, MLA Amit Deshmukh and government of Maharashtra for their constant effort in restarting film and television production. The association also thanked the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA), broadcasters and all the other vendors for their cooperation. It also expressed gratitude to Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Marathi producer Aadesh Bandekar, Dr Shashank Joshi from Covid2019 task force Maharashtra and district collectors for their assistance.
IFTPC in its release mentioned that due to the lockdown studios were shut. The release read, “Lakhs of daily wage workers and the workers from ancillary industries lost their jobs. The fear of starvation loomed large on the industry workers. Fortunately, with Unlock 1.0 shooting was allowed.”
The Maharashtra government under its ‘mission begins’ initiative allowed shooting from 30 July 2020 with stringent SOP measures and protocols. In order to resume shooting swiftly, Hindi and Marathi producers introduced additional safeguard measures like arranging transportation, lodging and boarding facilities for their cast and crew. The production houses, in fact, bore the additional cost of maintaining safety and hygiene.
The release said, “From today there will be more laughter and fun in every home battered by more than 100 days of lockdown. At a time when there was possibility of mental illness such as hypertension and depression was to affect many citizens, the re-entry of television is a big relief. Now the new stories full of drama, suspense fun and education will unfold and relieve the anxiety of Covid2019.”
The television industry was forced to stop telecasting due to the countrywide lockdown from 22 March 2020. The entire shooting for films, television and advertisement was dispensed post government guidelines to ensure social distancing and to stop the mitigation of the SarsCoV2.
In the meantime, more than 60 shows are being shot across Mumbai and Thane.
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.
