Banijay group to acquire Endemol Shine

The world’s largest production group will emerge from a mega-deal for France-based Banijay Group to acquire Endemol Shine Group.

A price has not been revealed but previous reports speculated on US$2.2b (A$3.2b).

Dutch-British based Endemol Shine is co-owned by The Walt Disney Company and affiliates of Apollo Global Management Inc.

The mammoth acquisition will encompass Endemol Shine’s 120 production labels. Upon completion of the acquisition, Banijay Group will own almost 200 production companies in 23 territories and the rights for close to 100,000 hours of content.

Endemol Shine Australia, helmed by brothers Mark & Carl Fennessy, produces some of the biggest shows in the country including MasterChef Australia, Australian Ninja Warrior, Married at First Sight, Lego Masters, Gogglebox, Australian Survivor, Big Brother.

The deal will make ESA a sister company to Banijay-owned Screentime, led by executive Chairman Bob Campbell, Screentime titles have included Anh’s Brush with Fame, Playing for Keeps, Trial By Kyle, Informer 3838, Underbelly, Wolf Creek, Pine Gap, Wife Swap, Hughesy We Have a Problem and RBT.

International titles which will also come together include Black Mirror, Versailles, The Millennium Trilogy, Peaky Blinders, Temptation Island, and The Island.

Marco Bassetti, Chief Executive Officer at Banijay, said: “Endemol Shine brings an incredible array of industry-leading talent, globally-renowned brands and high-quality creative content. Combining the resources of these two companies will instantly strengthen our position in the global market, and our capabilities across genres will further define us as a go-to provider of first class IP worldwide. Welcoming the Endemol Shine brands and talents to our existing business will signal enhanced opportunities in the marketplace, and we are all excited by what the future holds for the combined entity.”

Sophie Turner Laing, Endemol Shine Group Chief Executive Officer, added: “At Endemol Shine, we have continually inspired and entertained audiences around the world, a testament to every single person across the Group. This deal takes us into a whole new and exciting chapter and into a new enhanced global content house with many opportunities ahead.”

The acquisition needs anti-trust approval.