Banijay is a case study in how to grow into a European and global production powerhouse through acquisitions, most recently its deal to merge with All3Media. So, it was no surprise that this massive deal, unveiled in March, received a shout-out or two on Wednesday, the final day of the StreamTV Europe inaugural program in Lisbon, Portugal. The occasion was a panel discussion titled “Case Study: Banijay Blueprint: Diversified Entertainment for the Future”.
Executives from across the company discussed how it is evolving its content strategy to stay competitive in a rapidly changing industry.
“Entrepreneurship lies at the core” of Banijay’s approach, said Frederic Palmari, the company’s chief business officer. We are constantly adapting, transforming and diversifying our business. …Creativity drives everything we do.
He said three strategic pillars – live, digital and sports experiences – were Banijay’s focus as it worked to move from a business-to-business approach to a more direct-to-consumer approach.
Among recent examples, he mentioned the likes of the upcoming Black Mirror Experience, a 60-minute experience based on Charlie Brooker’s hit drama series. Black mirrorproduced by Banijay Live Studio and Univrse, which “blends physical space and virtual reality.
While discussing the All3Media deal and its rationale, Balmary pointed to Endemol’s previous “transformational” acquisitions, such as the acquisitions of Endemol Shine and Zodiak Media. The All3Media Group will close this year, and we will continue our mission to become the largest European studio with a strong focus on English-language content as well as streaming services, which now account for more than 20 percent of our revenue.
When host Evan Shapiro asked what else the All3Media group was about, the executive highlighted the size and creative talent. “We will become the natural consolidator in the market, which is important,” Palmari also stressed. “We are working to promote English content in the UK”
Pilar Blasco, CEO of Iberia at Banjay, touted opportunities to further grow its live events business following the recent Milan Olympics opening ceremony produced by the company’s Balich Wonder Studio, The Black Mirror Experience, and the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup opening event in the US, Canada and Mexico. “Audiences want to experience content rather than just watch it,” she explained.
Rick Murray, CEO of Workerbee, highlighted how his team is helping lead Banijay’s athletic career. “Sports is something that will never go away,” he said, describing the company as Amazon’s “key supplier” of football sports docs.
He stressed that Banijay was looking forward to launching YouTube channels across the world and creating a network of them. “We’re not able to announce anything yet, but we have some exciting plans,” Murray said. “We will be launching sports channels on YouTube in different regions and are looking to build a network of channels around the world, with the goal of building… [them] With the creatives covering sports events.
Overall, Murray concluded, it’s all about “coming together to redefine what a product is.”
Alexia Laroche-Jobert, CEO of Banijay in France, described the company and its team as “risk-takers.” She had advice for producers and other creatives. “Stay independent, but be in partnership. We don’t want to eat everyone, every person and every company, except the big ones,” she joked. “But we need them to be independent to maintain that inner sense of independence and creativity.
La Roche-Joubert also proposed a different way of thinking about the production sector rather than the competition between the economy of creators and traditional businesses. Her suggestion was to talk instead about an “economy of creation.”
