François de Brugada
FL Entertainment announced the creation of Banijay Events, a live events offering which will capitalize on the company’s expertise and success in content production, as well as expand its capabilities within the wider entertainment industry. The newly developed offering will be led by current Chief Executive Officer of Banijay France, François de Brugada.
This announcement follows FL Entertainment’s recent new ventures – an investment into The Independents, and the acquisition of Balich Wonder Studio by Banijay. The new Banijay Events offering will sit as part of FL Entertainment’s global content production and distribution operations, led by Banijay’s Chief Executive Officer, Marco Bassetti.
This strategic initiative is based on the assessment that the live events production industry has significant growth potential. According to the group, it remains largely unconsolidated and has a business model very similar to that of content production and distribution. Banijay reached €3.2 billionn in revenues for 2022, proving the strength of its long-term creative strategy and approach, on which FL Entertainment will further capitalize, the company says.
Brugada has served as CEO of Banijay France since 2015. Having gathered a local holding currently comprising more than 15 production labels, Brugada was responsible for nurturing a local catalogue of almost 3.000 hours of diverse, premium content each year, a portfolio that has continued to evolve and prosper under his guidance. Evolving and executing the group’s dedicated strategy, Brugada will be tasked with growing this new part of the business, developing synergies with the rest of the group, and identifying additional companies to build its dedicated portfolio.
“The live events business has rapidly soared post-Covid, and given our already-established entertainment assets, it represents a perfect addition to our group and to our strategy to become an integrated global entertainment leader. Capitalizing on our entrepreneurial production/distribution model, we have great ambitions in this area and are confident this new reinforced offering will become a destination for creativity and awe-inspiring activity,” said François Riahi, CEO of FL Entertainment.
Marco Bassetti, CEO of Banijay, added: “Diversifying our content capabilities beyond the screen marks a real gear shift for the group. Banijay Events launches with a solid base thanks to the recently announced investments, and from here, there are so many opportunities for further collaboration and onward global growth. This, combined with the appointment of François, who has been a key player in Banijay’s journey, marks a significant commitment to the live events business and we all look forward to seeing what comes next.”
François de Brugada, CEO of Banijay France, concluded: “It has been an exciting journey growing the business in France, and as part of that work, bolstering the scripted offering. Joining FLE to lead Banijay Events is for me like going back to the early years of Banijay, but this time with two major players already onboard. I am thrilled by this new challenge. There are many similarities between Banijay and the events production business, and I have no doubt that in blending the two experiences, we can establish a healthy footing in the market, as was done in the audiovisual space.”
Recruitment is currently underway to find a replacement CEO for Banijay France, with Brugada remaining in place until at least September, to ensure a smooth and effective transition period.
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