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UPDATE: Banijay Group has issued a statement confirming it is in talks with All3Media‘s owner RedBird IMI over a potential merger that will reshape the European production sector.
Banijay said: “The company confirms that it has entered into discussions with the All3Media owner regarding a potential combination between Banijay and All3Media. At this stage, the company wishes to emphasize that no decision has been taken and that there can be no assurance that a transaction will be concluded. Further announcements will be made if and when appropriate.”
PREVIOUS: Big Brother firm Banijay Group and RedBird IMI, owner of The Traitors company All3Media, are in talks to merge their production businesses, according to a report.
Per Reuters, the two international production giants will look to combine the Banijay Entertainment and Banijay Live businesses that Marco Bassetti runs with All3Media.
This would form one of the world’s biggest production groups, with dozens of production house subsidiaries around the world and a library including Big Brother, MasterChef, The Traitors, Midsomer Murders, Race Across the World and Peaky Blinders.
It would be a major shake-up of the international TV production sector – arguably the biggest since Banijay acquired Endemol Shine Group in 2021.
Reuters quoted sources, who noted that no deal is yet done. Should it happen, the joint business would have revenues nearing €6B ($7B), per their latest financial annual financial filings. One unnamed source told the business title that All3 and RedBird IMI would inject funds into the combined business.
Banijay and All3 declined to comment today, while RedBird IMI hadn’t responded to a request for comment.
Banijay, which is led by Stephane Courbit and counts Vivendi among its shareholders, and All3 have been linked in the past and in 2023 the former made a binding offer to acquire its rival from former owners Warner Bros. Discovery and Liberty Global. RedBird IMI, the Middle Eastern-backed capital house led by Jeff Zucker and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, eventually acquired the business for £1.15B ($1.55B).
Reuters reported that talks began late last year after Banijay, which is listed in Amsterdam, exited the chase for ITV Studios, the production arm of UK broadcaster ITV. One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the talks are now at an advanced stage.
All3 and RedBird IMI has also held talks with ITV Studios about merging their production assets, as the international TV sectors consolidates in reaction to global streaming and changing production budgets. While the rise of Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and Paramount+ has opened up plenty of opportunities for producers, it has also convinced many production execs of the need for scale.
France-based Banijay Group comprises the Banijay Entertainment and Banijay Live businesses, and betting arm Betclip. It owns a library of 207,000 hours and has a portfolio of over 130 production companies, including numerous Banijay- and Endemol Shine-branded businesses, Bunim/Murray, Mastiff, Groenlandia, 51 Minds, Dragonfly, Pookeepsie, Initial, Kudos, Tiger Aspect, Shine TV, Remarkable, The Forge, Truly Original and Zeppotron among others.
All3Media, headquartered in London, owns Traitors companies IDTV and Studio Lambert, All3Media America, Filmpool, Lion Television, Neal Street Productions, Objective Media Group, Raw, Silverback Films, South Pacific Pictures and Two Brothers Pictures.
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