Banijay Entertainment, now the world’s largest independent studio after absorbing All3Media, is preparing a deeper U.S. scripted expansion. Chief business officer Frédéric Balmary told Variety at Rome’s MIA Market that Netflix’s latest earnings call made one thing clearer: the streamer wants more American hits. Banijay has packaged high-end projects such as Ripley but has not operated in the U.S. as a full studio. That, Balmary said, is changing.
Why Banijay is looking stateside
Netflix’s content leadership reset adds another incentive. As the platform hunts U.S. hits, production groups with talent benches can move up the queue. Banijay’s English-language roster after the All3Media deal includes George Kay, creator of Lupin, and director Sam Mendes.
The number that matters
Marco Bassetti, Banijay’s CEO, has put a figure behind the strategy: €1 billion invested in creativity over the past four years. Balmary positioned that investment as the reason IP retention is non-negotiable. “Retaining IP is really one of our big fights at the moment,” he said.
The U.K. model is the reference point because it often lets producers keep around 50% of IP. That split, Banijay argues, is what funds development rather than simply collecting production fees.
What the slate tells you
- English-language pipeline: House of Guinness is renewed for a second season; War has launched on HBO; The Wanted Man with George Kay is coming to Apple.
- European local-global bets: Groenlandia in Italy and Pokeepsie in Spain are anchors; Pokeepsie’s Drawn Together on Amazon reached number one worldwide.
- U.S. scripted intent: Banijay wants a real studio presence, beyond packaging titles like Ripley.
What to do with it
For media planners and content buyers, the signal is to track non-English viewership data in Netflix’s disclosures, not just traditional territory reports. For producers, the fight is structural: decide before signing whether you are building a library or earning a fee. For platforms, the balance Balmary describes — Hollywood financial pressure, the U.K. as a cost bridge, and European stories that travel — is becoming a commissioning template.
Banijay’s move does not guarantee a U.S. hit, but it does signal where the largest independent studio believes the next leverage lies: in owning the asset, not just making it.
Source: Variety
