Marco Bassetti, the boss of Banijay Entertainment, who won the Variety Vanguard Award at Mipcom Confab, can talk about his track record and discuss profit margins and business rather than praise. Always politely smiling and calmly speaking with a distinctive Italian accent, Bassetti can be easily described as the iron fist in velvet gloves.
Since taking the helm of Stéphane Courbit’s media powerhouse Banijay in 2013, Bassetti has firmly guided the company through several major transformations, from the brilliance of the production powerhouse Endemore to the brilliance of the production powerhouse Endemore to the brilliance of the production powerhouse Endemore to the brilliance of the production powerhouse Endemore to the brilliance of the production powerhouse, to the diversification of the banner activity in both Indipted and Bolstered, both in Bolstered and Bolstered, to the diversification of the banner activity in both Indipted and Bolstered.
Banijay is best known for its non-hit franchises such as “Master Chef” and “Big Brother”, but it is also behind award-winning series and films such as “Peaky Blinders” and “Black Mirror.” Banijay won the award at the Venice Film Festival along with Valerie Donzelli’s “Ato Work.” But don’t expect Bassetti to brag about it or hang out on the red carpet.
“At the end, we are very focused on quality and provide good results for our shareholders, so we are keen to give very good returns than winning the Venice Oscar or Golden Lion.”
In fact, while several other large media groups, such as ITV and Fremantle, have fought industry headwinds over the past few years, BanniJay Entertainment, whose parent company BanniJay Group is listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, offers strong numbers.
The second quarter results showed revenues rose 3% from 2024 to 1.13 billion euros, while six months revenues were 1.42 billion euros, with adjusted EBITDA rising 6%.
208 million euros.
Although competition between major European media groups is ferocious, Bassetti has earned the respect of his peers. “We’re excited to be able to help you get the most out of our business,” said Jane Turton, CEO of All3Media. “Marco and I have known each other for many years. During that time he was a fiercely competitive rival and a highly respected friend.
“He’s passionate about television, he’s incredibly knowledgeable, annoyed and successful!” Turton says.
Tarak Ben Amer, a producer and businessman at Franco Tunician, who runs Eagle Pictures, a leading Italian independent distributor, describes Bassetti as “a great manager who trusts people.”
“He’s creative and financially savvy. He reassures banks, always aims at the market and speaks many languages,” says Ben Ammar.
Born near Lake Magiore in northern Italy and splitting time between Paris and Rome, Bassetti studied television production ropes in Milan. Bassetti studied economics at university when he entered the industry “by chance, not by choice.” I got a job at Northern Italy’s Commercial Channel Antenna 3, one of Europe’s first private television stations, through a school friend. Bassetti’s initial incentive was financial, but within a year he says he “had to do all the work” and says he can do it on television. “I started as a studio assistant, then I did mixing and video, then I was the director’s assistant, and then I directed, then I produced,” he says.
Always in the right place, Bassetti’s career began when ABC signed a contract, the television network he worked for in the late 1980s. He found himself paired with Steve Carlin, the TV producer and creator of “The $64,000 Questions.” to come up with a new format of entertainment. (Carlin passed away in 2003.)
“They said, ‘Just stay close to Steve Carlin. You speak English. You know how to create a format.’ I worked for him for two or three years as a producer,” says Bassetti. He also learned the importance of having a strong producer vision behind the format. Carlin “brings an American mentality,” says Bassetti. Because he considered an executive producer to be the boss. “In Italy, the real boss is always the director, not the producer.”
Bassetti helped Carlin create “Mama Non Mama” (Love Me, Love Me Notes). “It became the first dating show of the time in Europe. After the French Channel Rasinc (co-founded by Silvio Berlusconi), Bassetti started an independent company of two years. When the TV show was being produced in-house by the TV channel, Bassetti vented the beaten path by becoming the main provider of light entertainment and game shows in Italy.
Another producer who played a major role in Bassetti’s career is John DeMol, who entered the Italian market with a 5% stake in two of Bassetti companies, LaItaliana Productioni and Alain. After these two labels were purchased by Telefonica, Bassetti and Demol co-founded Endemole Italy in 1997, launching alongside other talented producers such as Coolbit, from “Big Brother” to “Deal or No Deal” and “Want to Be a Billionaire.” They purchased for 13 territory.
Bassetti has now come to show off his diplomatic skills to broadcast “Big Brother,” Italy, the majority of Catholic countries that are likely to see such an indifferent reality show with rippling feathers on local television. “People viewed it as very scandalous, so no one wanted to give us money to our ‘brother’,” he said with a laugh. “The head of the channel here was very Catholic, so he asked to go to Cardinal. The meeting was interesting because Cardinal spoke like ten languages and was a kind of mentor who read all the newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal,” recalled Bassetti. “So I tried to explain to him that ‘Big Brother’ was too none of pornographic graphic… and in the end the cardinal gave us his blessing! ”
Bassetti, who was the managing director and president of Endemol Italy until May 2004, was “a very powerful producer” with him, saying that he “learned how to share creativity to protect the format.” “We were the benchmark,” he continues. The executive then returned to Endemol Group as Chief Operating Officer in 2007, and was appointed president and CEO a few years later, and eventually resigned in 2012 to join Banijay.
Bassetti says his year as an indie producer paved the way for how business works today. Third-party producers create content for international television channels and streamers.
“What was pioneering was that as an independent producer, I knew I had the opportunity to create value and put together shows with other companies around the world,” he says. “It was clear that creativity could come from outside of big TV stations. Looking today, all the big shows are created by production companies.”
Bassetti says the biggest challenge for producers and television networks is coming up with new ideas. “I don’t see any other ‘brother’, ‘billionaire’, or ‘no deal or contract’,” he points out.
In addition to helping to provide these formats, Bassetti’s most notable achievement is the integration of Endemol’s brilliance into Banijay, where movements that many feared or expected fail. Banijay purchased Endemol Shine on a $2.2 billion deal in 2020, surpassing the catalogues that surpass BBC Studios and ITV Studios catalogues, and signed a $2.2 billion deal.
“Many people were unhappy with seeing two independent companies join and get so big. “But the size of the building was essential. If you’re going to use a lot of IPs to create something big, you need leverage.”
He says the industry was also skeptical of Banijay’s ability to create value at Endemol, as the latter did not through its merger with Shine. However, Bassetti had a great advantage. He already knew Endemol on the flip side.
Persuing financial partners to support the transaction has been a major challenge, says Bassetti. “It was not easy to enter the market as a French company and go to a giant like Endemall’s brilliance.
Looking back, Basetti says Banijay “was lucky because the timing was right.” The deal was closed just before the 2020 pandemic lockdown. Now, he says it is a tough market for integration. “It takes less risk to know how to save money,” he says.
Bassetti also shot down rumors that Banijay will court ITV studios, saying the company is looking for a talent partnership rather than an acquisition of a company that includes the US
“The M&A market is not a priority for us today. We are happy to see where we are and we believe we have the right size and the right person in charge,” he says.
Going forward, Bassetti wants to grow Banijay’s output in the film, predicting the film’s popularity revival. Last year, Banijay streamed “Diamanti.” It turned out to be one of Italy’s best-selling films of 2024.
However, Banijay has no intention of becoming a big part of theatre, he points out.
While maintaining the core business of television content, Banijay has diversified into live events and sports in recent years with many successes. The live experience was a major contributor to banner growth in the first six months of 2025, bringing 173 million euros, an increase of 15.4% year-on-year.
Bassetti is currently the owner of Lotchi, the creator of live entertainment group Balitch Wonder Studio and immersive entertainment “Luminesces” and an independent minority shareholder in the global marketing group, Lotchi’s company will continue to build its strategy to generate more value centered around IP and increase demand for live and immersive experiences.
“A few years ago we decided to become a media company, not just a production company. That means we had to create content around IP. If we didn’t create a live event based on a “survivor” camp, a “black mirror” VR experience, or a “peaky brinder” or “master chev,” I think it would be an opportunity to miss,” he says.
“We don’t just want to be licensors for IPs, we also want to manipulate them with IP-based events,” says Bassetti.
Sporting events is another area where Banijay Entertainment is carving out a lucrative niche. Bassetti says he sees “a growing appetite for content surrounding major sporting events, including highlights and documentaries.” The potential market is substantial, he says. “The investment in sports rights reached 60 billion euros. Assuming 10% is possible to produce related content, it will already be a huge chunk!”
Bassetti also maintains a tab on the rise of the creator economy, viewing it as “opportunity, not challenges.” “Previously, the commissioners wanted people coming from the world of cinema…and now streamers want YouTube creators,” he says with a laugh.
