Senior exec departures and UK leader role come in wake of Thursday’s mega-merger
Further details of senior exits and new roles have emerged in the wake of All3Media and Banijay Entertainment’s mega-merger, Broadcast International has learned.
All3’s group director of corporate development Steven Brown and chief operating officer Sara Geater are both understood to be leaving the company following completion of the deal on Thursday.
Brown had overseen M&A, growth plans and digital expansion strategy at All3, having joined the company 17 years ago alongside Jane Turton – All3’s former chief executive and now Banijay Entertainment’s deputy chief exec.
She said the pair had worked together “to grow the business into the market leader it is today”, adding: ”It has been a huge pleasure and we have achieved an enormous amount. Steven’s input is always invaluable – very commercial, very smart, with a lot of insight and passion for television and digital media.
“He has been a great colleague and member of the senior team and a very talented leader of the corporate development department. I would like to thank him on behalf of everyone across the business and wish him all the very best for the future.”
Brown added: ”During my 17 years at All3Media I have had the good fortune to work with many of the content industry’s most talented creatives and executives.
“It’s been wonderful to have been part of All3Media’s success story, and in particular to have had the privilege to have worked all of that time with Jane and the stellar team at All3Media. I couldn’t have asked for a better cast of colleagues. As I look forward to exciting new challenges ahead, I wish all of them and the new look All3/Banijay every success in the future.”
Geater, meanwhile, has been in the role since 2015 and worked closely with Turton to drive growth both organically and via acquisitions.
Her remit included oversight of production, talent management, rights and deals in the UK, as well as operations of All3’s footprint internationally.
She joined All3 following its acquisition by Discovery and Liberty Global, and remained at the company after it was bought by RedBird IMI in 2023. Before All3, she was chief exec of Fremantle UK and head of commercial affairs at Channel 4, having also had stints at the BBC, Avalon and Miramax Films. Her next move is not yet known.
Banijay Entertainment did not confirm Geater’s exit, but said in a statement: “Since the merger has only just closed, we are not yet in a position to confirm Banijay Entertainment’s combined leadership team or organisational structure.”
UK stability
Broadcast International also understands that the enlarged company’s operations in the UK – believed to bring in combined annual revenues close to £900m – will fall under the sole remit of Patrick Holland.
The former controller of BBC2 joined Banijay in 2022 as exec chair and chief exec of Banijay UK, a title and remit that he will retain following completion of the deal late last week. Banijay Entertainment did not confirm the news, noting they are “not yet in a position to confirm” structure.
Holland, who is known to be highly rated by Banijay Entertainment chief Marco Bassetti, will oversee around 65 labels.
Around 40 of All3Media’s 50 labels are UK-based companies, including Studio Lambert, Two Brothers Pictures and Lion. Around a third produce scripted shows, with the remainder largely focused on entertainment, factual entertainment and factual programming. Cumulatively their 2024 revenues stood at £297m.
Those 40-odd companies will join Holland’s existing UK roster of 24 domestic labels, whose combined 2024 revenues were £577m. Nearly half (46% or 11 labels) specialise in scripted, such as Kudos (SAS: Rogue Heroes, House of Guinness) and Wild Mercury (The Sixth Commandment, The Rig).
Almost a third (seven) are factual including Dragonfly (Ambulance) and Workerbee (The Eubanks: Like Father, Like Son) and around a fifth (five) are entertainment or reality labels such as Initial (Last One Laughing UK) and Remarkable (Pointless).
Even without joining forces, both superindies had outnumbered their closest rivals in terms of UK label numbers. The soon-to-be independent ITV Studios owns around 20 UK indies, Fremantle UK houses 11 and BBC Studios fully owning nine UK labels.
Both Banijay and All3 have been tidying up their UK label portfolio in recent years, largely to reduce overlap and better reflect domestic buying patterns.
The expectation among some had been that a merger would likely accelerate that trend, but Turton last week reiterated to Broadcast that creative costs were not being targeted as part of the €50m synergy savings identified.
Those will instead largely impact back office roles and distribution, with All3Media International’s Louise Pedersen already stepping down.
The broader structure of the combined group will reflect Banijay’s “decentralised” model, with country managers acting as intermediaries with group-level execs.
Specifics are yet to be confirmed, however, with the companies largely unable to discuss proposed changes prior to completion.
That leaves the immediate reporting lines for All3 labels somewhat fuzzy. All3 label heads had predominantly reported directly into Turton, but that will end with her new role of deputy chief exec of the enlarged group. Further details are likely to only emerge once the integration gathers pace.
No comments yet