Fiction
Endemol unveils reality formats for MipTV
MUMBAI: Television format creator and distributor Endemol has unveiled a lineup of reality and multiplatform formats set to make their international debut at next week’s television trade event MipTV 2011.
Headlining this year‘s line up is Club VIP, a series from Endemol France which pits reality TV celebrities against a group of unknown wannabes. The reality personalities are locked together with aspiring stars at Club VIP – a private resort where popularity is the name of the game. Every week, someone is voted off until the one final winner remains. Will it be the beloved and recognisable TV celebrity, or new talent who is ready to be the bright new star of the small screen?
Also among Endemol‘s highlights is Secret Story, an evolution of the Big Brother format which has aired in France, Portugal and the Netherlands. A group of contestants, each of them with their own dramatic secret, live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world. Hiding from detection is not easy as each and every contestant will be plotting to reveal the other‘s unknown truths.
Secret Story is already a major multiplatform hit in France, having aired four successful seasons on TF1. The show continues to be a breakout hit online with 90 million visitors and 1.1 billion pages visited and 200 million programmes viewed on the official website.
Returning formats include The Money Drop, the multiplatform hit created by Endemol UK which incorporates a hugely popular play along online game. The series has so far been sold to 14 territories with further deals in major markets due to be made prior to MIPTV.
Endemol chief commercial officer Tom Toumazis said, “Our portfolio of programmes for MIPTV is headlined by formats that have already pulled in fantastic ratings in major markets. These shows underline Endemol‘s reputation for innovative multiplatform entertainment and we‘re tremendously excited about showcasing them in Cannes next week.”
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.
