Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI completes Banijay-All3Media merger

Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI recently announced the completion of a merger of Banijay Entertainment and All3Media, creating one of the world’s largest independent media and entertainment companies with operations across 25 territories.

The combined Banijay Entertainment, jointly owned by Banijay Group and RedBird IMI, will be headquartered in London and led by Jeff Zucker as chairman, Marco Bassetti as CEO, and Jane Turton as deputy CEO.

The business would have generated more than $5 billion in revenue and over $800 million in adjusted EBITDA in 2025, with expected cost synergies of around $60 million within a year of closing, as per a press release.

For the UAE, the merger marks another milestone in Abu Dhabi’s growing influence in global media and entertainment. RedBird IMI is a joint venture between New York-based RedBird Capital Partners and Abu Dhabi-based IMI Media Group, which has been investing in international media assets across entertainment, sports, and digital platforms.

“The UAE is a great place to both do business and to do business with,” said Jeff Zucker, CEO of RedBird IMI and chairman of Banijay Entertainment.

Zucker said the merged company will continue expanding production activity in the Emirates. “We have a number of productions going on in the UAE itself right now, and those are going to continue through the new company,” he said, adding that the country has become “an exciting place to do production.”

The combined company brings together a catalogue of more than 265,000 hours of content, including global franchises such as MasterChef, The Traitors, Big Brother, Survivor, and Peaky Blinders.