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Banijay & All3 Come Together
Netflix/BBC/CBS
“The name of the game”: In the end it came together quickly. Consolidation is the word of 2026 so far and we took a break from probing Paramount-Warner when news zipped into our inboxes that the Banijay-All3Media mega-merger was complete. The resulting 50/50 JV between the French-headquartered behemoth and All3Media-owner RedBird IMI creates a 170-label production superpower, bringing together almighty creative talents and a 260,000-hour catalog. RedBird IMI boss Jeff Zucker hit the media rounds, telling us “this is the world’s largest independent media content company.” As ever with deals of this ilk, thoughts have turned to synergies and cost savings, which Zucker and Banijay boss Marco Bassetti said will total €50M ($59M) within 12 months of the deal closing this fall. For now, they are being clear that the ax will not land on creative, with distribution set to feel the heat, along with back office. WhatsApps have been pinging from insiders (keep eyes peeled on deadline.com tomorrow morning for the Deadline TV team’s merger deep dive), and there has been a clear distinction between reactions from Banijay staff versus All3ers. Bassetti has become the big boss (All3Media head honcho Jane Turton settles for deputy CEO) and the storied All3Media name will soon be no more. Thoughts turn now to how things will look in the near future. Banijay has already refused to rule out buying ITV Studios (that studio hit a “key strategic goal” in its annual results) and “consolidation is the name of the game,” according to CEO François Riahi. This year is shaping up to be a huge one for dealmaking.
Middle East Conflict
World holding its breath: The film and TV world waited on tenterhooks this week as the conflict in the Middle East escalated completely out of control. The news is changing hour by hour and given all the nations involved it is hard to keep up, but this morning the BBC reported that residents in Tehran had experienced their “worst night” of Israeli strikes so far. Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department urged all Americans to leave the Middle East over “serious safety risks.” With such a destructive geopolitical conflict driven by several strongmen leaders, the industry was always going to feel the ramifications. Mel had this primer on how the neighboring Gulf territories, normally seen as a safe part of the world, were experiencing shock. That region’s box office looks set to be hit hard by the U.S./Israel-Iran war as we edge closer to the Eid al-Fitr holiday later this month. Cinemas remain open for now in Qatar and UAE. News teams from around the world have been trying their best to keep things up-to-date, made all the more difficult by a near internet blackout in Iran, trouble at the state broadcaster and the fact that journalists aren’t allowed into the nation. CNN’s senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen and his team crossed the border yesterday and journeyed towards Tehran, the first U.S. network to enter the country since the start of the war, they say. We’ll be keen to follow Pleitgen’s journey covering a conflict that feels very much as though it is only at its beginning.
Tricia Tuttle Staying
Getty
“Irritations” over: Tricia Tuttle’s yo yo-ing status as head of the Berlin Film Festival has been a constant source of industry chatter and led to an unprecedented scenario Tuesday when a diverse group of film festival directors came together to publish a letter supporting her. It was soon confirmed that she will remain as head of the Berlin Film Festival. The circumstances of her new agreement with the German culture minister, however, are unclear. German tabloid Bild first reported that Tuttle, who is two years into a five-year term, had agreed to stay after accepting a set of mandatory rules around her leadership. The German culture ministry also suggested these recommendations had been accepted in their statement on Tuttle’s future. In contrast, the Berlinale said in a statement that they would only “consider” the recommendations and decide whether they are implemented. The recommendations are reported to include the establishment of an advisory forum, as well as the development of a code of conduct. Despite the distance between the festival and government’s statements, German culture minister Wolfram Weimer told a government committee this week that the “irritations” concerning the Berlinale were finally over.
The Essentials
Philip Friedman/Ari Michelson/Manfred Baumann/Courtesy
🌶️ Hot One: Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos), Danny Huston (Yellowstone), Paul Ben-Victor (The Wire) and Evan Handler (Sex And The City) have joined the cast of Gerard Butler action-thriller Empire City.
🌶️ Another One: The indie that made a hero of Slow Horses‘ Jackson Lamb wants to do the same for roguish antiques dealer Lovejoy, having acquired the rights to the Jonathan Gash-penned books.
🔥 A third: Sanjay Mishra, Rajesh Tailang and Dolly Singh will star in dark-comedy neo-noir Arjun Bewakoof from the makers of Andaman.
🎤 The Deadline Interview: Diana spoke with Piggy aka Lord of the Flies breakout David McKenna, who stole viewers’ hearts in the BBC adaptation.
🌎 Global Breakout: Four years on from the start of the Ukraine War, dramedy The Return tells a story of veterans coming back to Kyiv.
🏪 Setting up shop: White Lotus outfit Indochina Productions has teamed with L.A.’s Storyoscopic on Thailand’s BKK Films.
🏕️ Festival latest: Venice’s Alberto Barbera had his contract renewed for two more years.
🐱👓 A24: The hipster studio’s UK hub hired Heartstopper EP Patrick Walters and won the auction to develop Tower of London crime series We Are the Dead.
🖊️ Signed up: I Swear star Robert Aramayo with CAA.
🎥 Trailer: For Hate the Player: The Ben Johnson Story, the Paramount+ Canada comedy about the winner of “the dirtiest race in history.”
🍿 Box office: Pixar’s Hoppers is aiming for an $88M worldwide debut.
International Insider was written by Max Goldbart and edited by Jesse Whittock. Zac Ntim contributed.