Fiction
Endemol launches scripted TV studio in US
Mumbai: Television format creator and distributor Endemol has announced the launch of Endemol Studios, an LA-based independent scripted TV studio operation, to be headed up by newly appointed CEO Philippe Maigret.
Maigret will report to Endemol US chairman, David Goldberg. He will continue to oversee North America rights acquisitions for the Group, where he has served as executive VP, North America Acquisitions, since joining the company in March 2010.
Endemol Studios will develop and produce US scripted TV programming for global exploitation across all platforms. The operation is resourced to finance the development of projects; deficit-finance the production of pilots and series; and to oversee all related activities.
Endemol Studios will focus on primetime US cable drama productions based on original projects developed internally, as well as scripted formats adapted from Endemol’s international portfolio. The studio will also partner with US networks and producers on projects already developed, coming on board in a studio capacity.
Goldberg said, “Endemol Studios represents a significant step in our ongoing strategy to expand and diversify our activities in North America at the same time helping fuel our global growth. Philippe and Jeremy bring together a powerful blend of experience and a track record of delivering projects with global potential”.
The launch of Endemol Studios capitalises on Endemol‘s successes in US scripted television to date. These have included AMC‘s recent series order of the Endemol USA-developed series ‘Hell on Wheels‘, premiering on 6 November; as well as the rights acquisition of TV Land‘s ‘Hot in Cleveland‘, ‘Happily Divorced‘ and ‘The Exes‘, TNT‘s ‘Leverage‘, The Hub‘s ‘The Haunting Hour‘ in the US and Showcase‘s ‘Endgame‘ in Canada.
The new operation will immediately focus on a number of projects currently in development at Endemol USA and its subsidiaries as well as adapting some of Endemol’s biggest international drama hits.
Endemol Studios will benefit from Endemol Group‘s creative and production presence in key markets (including the UK and Australia) as well as leveraging the company‘s global distribution capabilities and infrastructure. The studio will seek co-production partners where appropriate. Endemol Worldwide Distribution will monetise the TV and home video rights to the studio’s productions, with Endemol Worldwide Brands managing all ancillary rights.
Maigret delivered a number of acquired and co-financed series at Endemol, expanding the company‘s distribution portfolio, and concluded Endemol‘s international distribution and co-production first look deal with Ensemble Entertainment.
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.
