Banijay and All3 Strengthen Ties, Indian Box Office Hits a New Record, and Highlights from Unifrance Rendez-Vous

Welcome to the second Insider of 2026, bringing you the latest headlines from the international film and TV sectors. Here are the major developments.

Banijay & All3 Cozy Up

Banijay & All3Media: Consolidation is emerging as a defining theme in 2026’s international entertainment landscape. Recent reports reveal that Banijay and All3Media’s parent company, RedBird IMI, are engaged in discussions regarding a potential merger of production assets. These talks were confirmed just hours later. Banijay has a history of acquiring independent rivals such as Zodiak Media and Endemol Shine Group, and this prospective partnership aims to solidify its position alongside All3Media. After being acquired by RedBird for £1.15BN ($1.54BN) in 2023, All3Media has been seeking renewed momentum. A merged entity would consolidate a vast array of unscripted formats, including Survivor, Big Brother, MasterChef, and scripted hits like Peaky Blinders and All Creatures Great and Small. However, insiders have raised concerns about potential job losses as overlapping staff may create significant redundancies. “Could be another bloodbath,” one market observer noted. With additional industry shifts, including Sky’s acquisition of ITV’s channels and the lingering effects of the Warner sale, 2026 is poised to be a critical year for mergers and acquisitions in the sector.

Indian Box Office Record

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Records are there to be broken: Despite global concerns about the state of the box office, India has made headlines with cinema revenues soaring to a record ₹133.95B ($1.48B) in 2025—surpassing the previous record of $1.35B set in 2023. These figures, released by Ormax Media, detail a stellar year for Hindi films, which grossed a collective $609.78M. The Ranveer Singh film Dhurandar emerged as the highest-grossing Hindi film ever, taking in $105.3M. The proportion of South Indian films dubbed into other languages has dropped significantly, from 31% in 2024 to just 7%. Additionally, international film revenues rose 49%, with Disney’s Avatar: Fire and Ash leading the charge. However, a troubling trend is evident as admissions declined—raising questions about the sustainability of rising ticket prices, which increased by 20% year-over-year. As some analysts suggest, this reliance may not last if audience attendance continues to wane.

Unifrance-Rendezvous Review

Paris, je t’aime: French film sales agents have actively showcased their offerings this week at Unifrance’s 28th Rendez-vous in Paris. The event, which attracted 43 film sales companies and 400 buyers from 40 international territories, is the largest market dedicated to French cinema outside of the Cannes Film Festival. Highlights included theatrical screenings of the comedy-drama La Comedie-Française and market premieres such as the animated feature The Legendaries and Gilles de Maistre’s The Desert Child. Despite the excitement at Pullman Paris Montparnasse, challenges loom for French cinema, as Unifrance reported that box office revenue for French productions rose by 6% to $317M, yet admissions plummeted to 17.1 million in 2025, down from 25.8 million the previous year.

The Essentials

Hot One: Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk is launching The Dealer, a Netflix crime series focused on the high-stakes gambling world.

Another One: The Saudi-backed 3Six9 Studios released a slate of projects featuring notable names like Woody Allen and John Boyega.

A fiery third: A deal is nearing completion for a TV remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for Sky, but Banijay is disputing Sony’s rights to distribute the adaptation.

The Interview: Chris Chibnall and Mia McKenna-Bruce discussed their latest Agatha Christie series, the intriguing Seven Dials, during a recent interview.

Iran: Recent reports highlighted how protests against the Iranian regime are impacting the entertainment industry.

Parting ways: Juliette Howell, co-founder of House Productions, is leaving to become CEO of Lookout Point, another BBC Studios-backed producer.

Stopped: Grok has halted its image-generating tool after facing threats from multiple governments regarding the creation of non-consensual images.

Sold: Lionsgate has sold its Asian streaming service, Lionsgate Plus, to its head, Rohit Jain.

History: YouTube’s reach has surpassed that of the BBC’s channel suite in the UK, marking a significant milestone in media reach.

Box Office: Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value has exceeded $20M in international box office revenues, positioning it to become the highest-grossing Norwegian-language film.

International Insider was written by Jesse Whittock and edited by Max Goldbart. Melanie Goodfellow contributed.