Banijay bid for ITV?
April 28, 2025
France’s Banijay Group could be working up a bid for ITV or its studio arm to bring together two of Europe’s largest TV production groups, according to reports in the FT.
Banijay has already talked to ITV executives insiders have claimed. ITV’s studio arm has attracted interest from investment groups such as RedBird IMI, which owns rival All3Media.
ITV stock has bumped 10 per cent this year on talk around a potential deal for its studio arm, valuing the group at just over £3 billion (€3.5bn). Some analysts say the studio arm could be worth that on its own, setting little value on a broadcasting business that includes a linear and streaming service in the UK.
Options said to have been explored by Banijay include an offer for ITV’s studio business or the full takeover of ITV. Banijay has held talks with CVC, the private equity group, about financing a potential deal, sources told the FT.
The discussions are at a very early stage, and ITV shares fell 3 per cent today amid City scepticism about a deal being reached.
The combination of Banijay and ITV Studios would make strategic sense given their strengths in scripted and unscripted TV production, with both making shows for the big broadcasters and US streamers. It would offer negotiating power given that many streamers and broadcasters are seeking to curtail expenditure.
Liberty Global, ITV’s largest shareholder with about a tenth of its shares, supports the management looking at options for the business, according to reports.
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