EXCLUSIVE: We’re starting to get an idea of what Banijay Entertainment’s distribution arm will look like after its merger with All3Media closed last month, creating an $8BN content giant.
Matt Creasey will be Senior Executive Vice President World, excluding EMEA, at Banijay Rights. Pre-merger, he was EVP Sales, Acquisitions and Coproductions, Rest of World.
Based in LA, Creasey’s regional teams will have outposts in LA, Miami, Sydney and Mumbai. All3Media International’s offices in Singapore and New York will shutter as activities are folded into the newly combined entity.
Deadline was first with the news that Cathy Payne will lead Banijay Rights after the All3Media deal, with Louise Pedersen, boss of All3Media International, exiting. Creasey reports directly to Payne. He is a seasoned international exec having joined Endemol International in 2006 as Director of Sales, Distribution.
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Leading sales, acquisitions and co-productions across the territories he covers, Creasey will oversee the roll-out of a freshly enlarged catalog, which now totals over 265,000 hours.
Banijay’s big shows include MasterChef, Big Brother and Peaky Blinders, while the merger means the likes of juggernaut format The Traitors and evergreen drama Midsomer Murders get added to the mix from the All3 side.
The company confirmed Creasey’s new title and the shuttering of the regional offices.
“From the outset, it has been essential my team works closely with the outstanding creatives and clients we partner with around the world, which is why we have always anchored them in complementary cities,” Payne said.
She added: “As our catalog grows and our slate of new IP strengthens, we continue to reinforce our premium global offering, and I have every confidence Matt, with his expansive experience and network, is ideally placed to continue to drive growth outside EMEA in this exciting new chapter.”
Banijay Entertainment has north of 150 production labels around the world. In the immediate wake of the merger, the company said the union of Banijay and All3 will yield €50M ($57M) in cost savings. The likelihood is a lot will come from back office, and distribution is another area where there is overlap.
