Report: Banijay Group weighing bid for ITV Studios

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Report: Banijay Group weighing bid for ITV Studios

French entertainment giant Banijay Group is exploring a potential acquisition of ITV or its production division, ITV Studios.

thedesk.net

Banijay Group is one of the candidates to get ITV studios if it is approved. Some of this is in response to the streaming landscape that UK Broadcasters have to respond to.

ITV’s CEO, Dame Carolyn McCall, has been under pressure to improve revenues and bolster the company’s share price amid a challenging environment marked by a decline in traditional TV advertising and heightened competition from streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus.

Analysts at Bernstein believe a full takeover of ITV is an “unlikely scenario,” suggesting instead that a transaction involving only ITV Studios’ operations outside the UK could be more viable. Simon Baker noted, “We see little commercial logic to a combination of ITV’s broadcasting business with any overseas broadcaster or production company. [However], a spin-off of ITV Studios’ non-UK business could crystallize value and offer the prospect of synergies.”

Banijay acquiring ITV Studios would dramatically shift its portfolio toward scripted programming. Banijay, founded in 2008, expanded significantly through a merger with Zodiak in 2015 and its $2.2 billion acquisition of Endemol Shine in 2019, adding global hits like “MasterChef,” “Big Brother,” and “Black Mirror.” The company is publicly listed in Amsterdam with a market value of €3.6 billion (around U.S. $4.1 billion).