Banijay, the global media company, has acquired full ownership of Endemol Shine India and is set to make India the international production hub for popular reality shows “Survivor” and “Temptation Island.”
Deepak Dhar, founder and group CEO of the merged entity, will lead the combined operations of Endemol Shine India and Banijay Asia. He plans to focus on content strategies, partnerships, and building both companies’ reputations in generating new intellectual property (IP) that can travel worldwide.
Dhar expressed his enthusiasm for utilizing India’s landscapes and cost efficiencies in producing reality shows. He stated, “We are on the verge of setting up a ‘Temptation Island’ hub and ‘Survivor’ hub, and a whole lot of the Banijay Group companies would come film here.”
India will serve as the hub for both Asian and international versions of the shows, attracting European countries and Asian productions. Dhar also revealed plans to establish India as an outsourcing hub for content, with future growth focusing on productions in Asia and Southeast Asia.
In addition to reality formats, Banijay Asia is making strides in scripted content. The Indian adaptation of “The Night Manager” has become the most-watched series ever on Disney+ Hotstar, while the Indian version of “The Good Wife,” called “The Trial – Pyaar, Kaanoon, Dhokha,” premiered to positive reviews. The success of these adaptations has fueled demand for more big-ticket formats and originals in the Indian market.
Banijay Asia has a range of projects in the pipeline, including adaptations of popular shows like “Monk” and “House.”
In summarizing the company’s vision, Dhar stated, “We are a content studio not just for Hindi, but across languages, and I see massive potential and massive opportunities trying to tell different stories across different languages and different formats.”
