Banijay Entertainment Plans More U.S. Scripted Shows, Its Business Chief Says

Banijay Entertainment, the group formed by the merger of Banijay and All3Media, wants to be more active in U.S. scripted production, according to its chief business officer, Frédéric Balmary.

"Scripted" means shows built from written scripts, such as drama and comedy. It is different from unscripted formats like reality shows and factual series.

Balmary spoke in an interview with Variety, published on 23 October 2026, at Rome's MIA Market. MIA is a trade event where television producers and buyers meet to sell and buy programmes.

He said the company aims to expand in the United States. He tied that push to Netflix's stated search for more U.S. hits, a point the streamer made on its last earnings call. An earnings call is a quarterly video meeting where a company's leaders talk to investors about its results.

Balmary also spoke about rights. "Retaining IP is really one of our big fights at the moment," he said. In television, IP, or intellectual property, means the legal rights to a show and its future. Those rights cover who owns the format, the characters and the income from later versions.

He echoed the position of Banijay Entertainment's chief executive, Marco Bassetti, that European producers should hold their ground on terms of trade with Hollywood. Terms of trade are the conditions set out in deals between production companies and the studios and streamers that buy their work.

Bassetti's own remarks at the same market drew attention last week. Deadline, reporting on 20 October 2026, said he revealed a $1.1 billion spend on creativity.

Balmary's appointment as chief business officer dates back to March 2023, when Banijay created the role for him. The title is new, so the job is still taking shape.

Behind the boardroom talk are the writers' rooms and crews who make a scripted series. Who owns a show can decide where it is made, and how long it keeps going.