Banijay Group buys out Endemol Shine India

Deepak Dhar to lead the group, comprising Endemol Shine India, and Banijay Asia, as founder & group CEO

Global media and entertainment powerhouse, Banijay has announced the successful completion of its buy-out of Endemol Shine India, thus paving 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 on the developments, Deepak Dhar, founder & Group CEO - 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 complimentary 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.”

According to industry sources, Banijay has reportedly paid between $90 million and $100 million (Rs 738 crore-Rs 821 crore) to CA Media for the buyout.

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 the 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 having fun along the way.”

Now, some of the biggest global, and original Indian IP would now 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.