Yahoo Lifestyle BBC Studios Exiting Indian Production Business & Signs Banijay Asia Deal
BBC Studios has confirmed it will cease producing in India, with Banijay Asia gaining access to its formats catalog in the country.
The BBC’s production and sales arm has been mulling an exit from Indian production for several weeks and today confirmed it will “cease its own production activity locally, once current and contracted commitments are delivered, to focus on this new model in India.”
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A BBC spokeswoman said four full-time staff members and 30 fixed-term contractors will lose their roles as a result of the move.
In place of BBC Studios’ own local production, an agreement with Banijay Asia described as “multi-year” has been struck. It will see Banijay Asia gaining access to all of BBC Studios scripted and unscripted formats, including The 1% Club and The Great Bake Off, and looking to place them with India’s broadcasters and streamers.
Last month, it emerged the BBC was considering an exit from Indian production, with issues such as industry-wide consolidation and local market contraction impacting the biz. As our feature last month noted, streamers have reeled in their spending after an intense period of spending on original shows and films stretched the market to breaking point.
That came soon after Sameer Gogate stepped down as General Manager of Indian productions for BBC Studios. BBC Studios’ Indian production outfit made Indian adaptations of The Office and Criminal Justice, as well as shows like Out of Love, Gaalivaana and sports docu-series Sons of the Soil, and distributes the likes of Dancing with the Stars and Luther in the country.
Jacob DeBoer, EVP Global Entertainment for BBC Studios, said: “Banijay Asia is an outstanding producer with the creativity, vision and local expertise to bring BBC Studios’ rich catalogue of formats to life for the Indian market. We are excited for this partnership to bring the next generation of compelling, talked-about entertainment shows to Indian audiences.
“I would also like to pay tribute to the BBC Studios team in Mumbai for all the incredible content they have developed and produced over the years, with our very first episode of Jhalak Dikhla Ja in 2006.”
“BBC Studios has an incredible catalogue of iconic formats and, as its exclusive partner in India, we will bring these powerful stories to Indian viewers with our unique approach to storytelling,” said Banijay Asia founder and CEO Deepak Dhar. “This strategic collaboration aligns with our vision of delivering high-quality, impactful content that resonates across platforms.”
Banijay Asia is a joint venture between Banijay Entertainment and Dhar, who leads the company and its subisiary, Endemol Shine India. The company is behind the likes of Into The Wild With Bear Grylls and Trial By Fire and local remakes of Masterchef, Big Brother, Deal or No Deal, Temptation Island and Fear Factor. On the third-party front, it has adapted The Night Manager, Call My Agent: Bollywood and The Good Wife for the Indian market.
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