Fiction
Balaji Telefilms Q1-2015 PAT triples
MUMBAI: Balaji Telefilms Limited (Balaji) reported triple the (2.9 times) consolidated PAT at Rs 10.56 crore in the quarter ended June 2014 (Q1-2015) as compared to Rs 3.62 crore during the previous quarter ended June 2013 (Q1-2014) and versus loss of Rs 27.36 crore in the preceding quarter ending March 2014 (Q4-2014).
Consolidated PAT expanded on the steep increase in revenue from operations which rose 61 per cent to Rs 135.34 crore against Rs 84.03 crore in Q1-2014, and was almost same as revenue from operations in the preceding quarter Q4-2014.
Three major segments contribute to Balaji’s revenue – Commissioned Programmes, Sponsored Programmes and Films. While the revenue from films for the company stood at Rs 89.33 crore, 44 per cent more than Rs 61.65 crore in Q1-2014, the revenue from commissioned programmes was Rs 46 crore in Q1-2015 as against Rs 22.77 crore in Q1-2014 and Rs 39.86 crore in Q4-2014. The profit made by the film segment was 23 per cent down to Rs 26.06 crores y-o-y.
Revenue from Sponsored Programs in Q1-2015 was nil.
EBITDA for the company was in positive at Rs 14.71 crore as against negative in the preceding quarter (Q4-2014) at Rs 5.01 crore.
Let us look at the other numbers reported by the company.
The company’s total expenditure rose 35 per cent in Q1-2015 to Rs 123.49 crore as compared to Rs 91.33 crore in Q1-2014 and 13 per cent as against Rs 109 crore in Q4-2014.
Cost of production/acquisition and telecast fees contribute 44 per cent to the Balaji’s total expense, while marketing and distribution expense was 14 per cent of the total expenditure. The Cost of production/acquisition and telecast fees fell 19 per cent to Rs 55.49 crore in Q1-2015 versus Rs 69.26 crore in Q1-2014 and Rs 52.73 in Q4-2014.
Balaji’s expenditure for marketing and distribution fell 27 per cent in Q1-2015 to Rs 18.07 crore as against Rs 24.96 crore in Q1-2014 and Rs 20.30 crore in Q4-2014
Finance costs for Q1-2015 have been drastically reduced by the company to Rs 0.02 cr as compared to Rs 1.37 crore last quarter (Q4-2014)
Let us look at Balaji’s subsidiary companies.
Balaji Motion Pictures Limited (BMPL), a subsidiary of Balaji posted a profit growth of 147 per cent at Rs 8.84 crore versus Rs 3.57 crore in Q1-2014. Revenue for BMPL stood at Rs 89.39 crore, 44 per cent more than Rs 61.66 crore
BMPL released three movies in the current quarter, among which ‘Ek Villain’ crossed the 100 crore mark.
Bolt Media Limited (BML), another subsidiary of Balaji, reported a loss of Rs 0.25 crore versus loss of Rs 0.22 crore in Q1-2014. Revenue of the company increased to Rs 2.5 crore from Rs 0.83 crore in Q1-2015.
Cost of Production/Acquisition and Telecast Fees for BMPL and BML was at Rs 74.88 crore and Rs 2.45 crore respectively in Q1-2015.
BML is commissioning serials such as “Dharma-Kshetra” (26 episodes) and “Rakht” (10 episodes) for EPIC Television Networks Private Limited (Expected launch by Q2 of FY15).
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.
