Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 18: Global media and entertainment powerhouse, Banijay today announced the successful completion of its buy-out of Endemol Shine India, thus paving the way for a reorganisation of Banijay in the region to create a content powerhouse in India, as well as Asia. Both Banijay Asia and Endemol Shine India will now work under the leadership of Deepak Dhar, who’s been appointed as the Founder & Group CEO.
Talking about the developments, Deepak Dhar, Founder & Group CEO – of Banijay Asia & Endemol Shine India, commented, “The reorganisation of Banijay in Asia is our biggest and boldest move yet and aligns with our ambition to drive further growth in India and Asia at-large. Leveraging the creative potential and possibilities of both brands, we will now strategically pursue complementary yet independent creative portfolios to offer the most diverse and compelling cross-genre content from across the globe to our Indian and Asian platforms and screens.”
Commenting on the restructuring, Marco Bassetti, CEO, Banijay, said, “Deepak is a leading creative and entrepreneurial force in Asia, and in our partnership thus far, he has successfully created an impressive slate and a host of fruitful partnerships with major buyers and partners worldwide. In this new phase for the business, he will now focus on unlocking and aligning other strategic growth avenues to put Banijay in a dominating position, both in India, as well as Asia.”
Having led Endemol’s India operations between 2005 and 2018 before launching Banijay Asia and overseeing its strategic growth, Dhar will now continue his focus on leading the wider group’s content strategies, partnerships, new business, and alliances, in addition to building both companies’ reputations in generating new IP, which can travel the world.
In line with the changes and with the aim of unlocking greater synergies, Dhar will now finesse the structure of Banijay in the region, setting group-wide roles, as well as dedicated creative positions within the respective production entities. Key personnel-related news is expected to be shared in the coming few weeks.
Dhar further added, “I’ve been fortunate to have been involved in the growth of both businesses since their inception in India. Now, managing both to drive growth across the region is a bit of a surreal feeling. I look forward to working closely with my colleagues at Endemol Shine India and Banijay Asia to continue to create path-breaking content and have fun along the way.”
Now, some of the biggest global and original Indian IPs would be available and produced between the two entities under the leadership of Dhar.
Over the last few years, Banijay Asia has delivered mega-hit scripted adaptations like The Night Manager, Call My Agent Bollywood, Hostages, and Fall, and successful Originals like Dahan, Matsya Kaand, Undekhi, Tribhanga, amongst many others. The content studio’s upcoming shows include Indian adaptations of The Good Wife, Monk, House and Suits. On the non-scripted front, Banijay is leading the genre with blockbuster titles like The Kapil Sharma Show, MTV Roadies, The Voice, The Big Picture, Into The Wild with Bear Grylls, Case Toh Banta Hai and more. The content studio’s upcoming shows include Survivor and Temptation Island.
Meanwhile, since 2005, Endemol Shine India has established a strong reputation as the leading producer of Bigg Boss across 9 regions, as well as the Indian adaptations of Fear Factor, MasterChef and Deal or No Deal. On the Scripted front, apart from Bombay Begums, Trial By Fire and Tooth Pari, of late, the label has announced a third season of International Emmy-nominated Aarya and a Hindi adaptation of The Bridge (Bron/Broen).
About Banijay
Launched in 2008, media and entertainment powerhouse, Banijay is home to over 130 production companies across 21 territories, a multi-genre catalogue boasting over 160,000 hours of original standout programming, and a complimentary live entertainment business – Banijay Events.
Imagining and delivering high-quality, multi-genre IP that was born locally and traveled globally, the business offers the best stories told the best way and represents some of the biggest global brands in the market, including Survivor, Big Brother, Peaky Blinders, MasterChef, Rogue Heroes, Marie Antoinette, Mr Bean, Love Triangle, Hunted, The Summit, Black Mirror, Blow Up!, and Starstruck among others.
Built on independence, creative freedom, collaborative entrepreneurialism and commercial acumen, the company operates under the direction of Chief Executive Officer Marco Bassetti. It is under his leadership the business has grown to reach €3.2bn in revenues and €472m in EBITDA for 2022.
