The full ownership of Endemol Shine by Paris-based Banijay Group will bring 200 production houses from 23 territories under the same roof, including Nordic labels Filmlance International, Rubicon TV, Yellow Bird and Jarowskij.

The ground-breaking deal which gives birth to the biggest indie content creator and distributor outside US studios, was announced on Saturday by Banijay Group, owned by French business man Stephane Courbit’s investment arm Financière LOV, Italian DeA Communications and Canal Plus-owner Vivendi Group.

It ends more than a year-long speculation about Banijay’s predatory views over Dutch group Endemol Shine Group, controlled by The Walt Disney Company and Apollo Global Management.

Through the acquisition estimated at $2.2 billion, the new holding company LDV (comprising Financière LOV, De Agostini and French investment company Fimalac) will hold 67.1% of the new merged group, and Vivendi 32.9%. 

Pending final regulatory clearance and approval from staff representative bodies, the new super indie group will be responsible for around 200 production labels in 23 territories, and close to 100,000 hours of content, including successful scripted content Black Mirror, Peaky Blinders, The Millennium Trilogy, and non-scripted brands Big Brother, MasterChef, and The Island.

According to Banijay, total revenue of the combined group is estimated at €3bn ($3.3bn) for the year ending December 31, 2019. The deal is a major coup for Banijay Group, as it opens up new markets where Endemol Shine Group is well established, such as the UK, the US, Latin America, while strengthening its position in other areas such as the Nordics where the group already enjoys a strong foothold. 

In the Nordics, Banijay Nordic - created following the merger between Banijay Group and Zodiak Media worldwide in 2016 - produces more than 2,500 hours of premium content each year.

Its portfolio of 13 production entities includes strong scripted content creators Jarowskij (The Restaurant/Vår tid är nu, Black Lake), Yellow Bird (Wallander, Occupied, Rebecka Martinsson), Yellow Bird UK (currently in production with Netflix’s Young Wallander), Zodiak Finland (Shadow Lines) as well as leading format/entertainment brands Mastiff (Strictly Come Dancing, Paradise Hotel) and Nordisk Film TV (The Voice, Beat Your Host, Selmas Saga). 

Meanwhile Endemol Shine Nordics’ production portfolio of seven labels includes high profile Swedish outlet Filmlance International (The Bridge, Beck, The Sandhamn Murders, HBO’s upcoming Bear Town), Norway’s Rubicon TV (HBO’s Beforeigners), and non-scripted specialist Metronome TV and Meter TV.

Endemol Shine recently boosted its scripted activities in Finland with the appointment of Max Malka as Head of Scripted for Endemol Shine Finland. 

Commenting on the deal, Marco Bassetti, Banijay Group CEO said: “Endemol Shine brings an incredible array of industry-leading talent, globally-renowned brands and high-quality creative content. Combining the resources of these two companies will instantly strengthen our position in the global market, and our capabilities across genres will further define us as a go-to provider of first-class IP worldwide. Welcoming the Endemol Shine brands and talents to our existing business will signal enhanced opportunities in the marketplace, and we are all excited by what the future holds for the combined entity.”

Sophie Turner Laing, Endemol Shine Group CEO, said the deal takes her group into a "whole new and exciting chapter and into a new enhanced global content house with many opportunities ahead.”