Banijay takes majority stake in Italy’s Balich Wonder Studio as M&A push continues

Balich Wonder Studio created the whale shark installation for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022

Global production giant Banijay has acquired a majority stake in Italian live entertainment prodco Balich Wonder Studio, which operates in Europe and the Middle East and employs 280 people.

Marco Balich

Milan-based Balich Wonder Studio is best known for producing live sporting events including various ceremonies for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Pan American Games and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, plus other events such as the Tree of Life Expo 2015.

Led by chairman and chief creative officer Marco Balich, the company posted revenues of €315m (US$341m) in 2022.

The acquisition remains subject to customary closing conditions and is anticipated to close in the coming months, Banijay said.

The move continues Banijay’s aggressive and ongoing M&A-driven growth plan. Over the course of a busy 2022, the company acquired 15 companies across 10 territories, including Australia’s Beyond International, Italy’s Groenlandia, the UK’s Kindle Entertainment, Germany’s Sony Pictures Film & Fernsehen and UK- and US-based Znak TV.

This year, the M&A strategy has continued with January’s takeover of French production entity Puzzle Media and Belgian scripted prodco Jonnydepony.

The Balich Wonder Studio deal adds a new string to Banijay’s bow, having hitherto focused on scripted and unscripted production. Banijay now houses more than 130 production companies across 21 territories and has a multi-genre catalogue of 160,000 hours of content.

France-based Banijay, launched in 2008, saw its revenue grow by 16.5% to €3.21bn (US$3.41bn) in 2022, helped in part by a 61% increase in production and distribution revenues derived from streaming platforms. The Balich takeover comes as Netflix has reportedly become the latest streamer to plan a move into live sports programming.

Banijay CEO Marco Bassetti said: “Complementary to us in its ambition and entrepreneurialism, Balich has risen to be top of its game in the live event space, and via this acquisition there is huge potential for further pioneering growth.

“In marrying our businesses, we will create a unique universe of globally spanning premium content, and the world’s most watched ceremonies and illustrious events – ultimately, a one-stop shop for creativity.”

Marco Balich added: “We are glad that a world-class player like Banijay has chosen a committed creative team with the ambition to become the world’s most prestigious live entertainment group.”