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Endemol lands new deals with Astro
MUMBAI: Television format creator and distributor Endemol has signed new deals with Astro in Asia for ‘The Money Drop’ and ‘Fear Factor’.
Malaysian broadcaster, Astro Ria has ordered a prime time series of ‘Fear Factor’, marking a comeback for the format in Asia. Launching later this year, the 13-part celebrity series will be filmed in Cape Town produced by Endemol Malaysia Entertainment Group in conjunction with Endemol South Africa. The format was last produced in Asia in 2009.
Astro Ria has also ordered a 26 part second series of ‘The Money Drop’, which will air in a prime time spot later this year. The new Malaysian series will once again incorporate the Play Along game, where viewers at home can mirror the white knuckle decisions made by players in the studio. Both this game and the returning Stand Alone were hugely popular during the first series.
Endemol Asia CEO Arjen van Mierlo said, “ ‘Fear Factor’ and ‘The Money Drop’ are among the biggest hits created by Endemol and we’re delighted to have them in peak time slots on a leading regional broadcast such as Astro. I’m especially pleased to sign these deals ahead of MIPCOM, where both shows continue to be among our market highlights.”
‘The Money Drop’ has now been sold in over 40 territories across Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, CIS territories, Asia and the South Pacific. The online game has generated over 17 million game plays.
‘Fear Factor’ has sold into over 150 countries with local versions produced in over 30 territories. The format returned to Cannes at MIPTV 2012 following its ratings success on NBC in the US.
Elsewhere in Asia, Endemol has signed new deals in Vietnam, where HTV7 has recommissioned 52 new episodes of Deal or No Deal and VTV3 have reordered a 52 part series of 1 vs. 100.
Other recent commissions in the region include ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar‘, which was sold to Hunan Broadcasting in China. The series launched on the channel in July.
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.
