Ben Samek, CEO of Banijay Americas, will lead the combined U.S. operations of Banijay and All3Media following their merger into an $8 billion production group, according to an exclusive report by Deadline.

The appointment had not yet been signed in paperwork as of the report, described as a matter of procedure rather than an open question.

Samek has run Banijay Americas since February 2023. His career in the production business stretches back over a decade: he joined Endemol USA as COO in 2014, became COO of Endemol Shine North America in 2015, and was promoted to President and COO of that company in January 2018. When Banijay acquired Endemol Shine Group in 2020, his oversight expanded to include Banijay's companies across the U.S. and Latin America. Earlier, he served as COO at 51 Minds Entertainment.

The merger brings together two of the busiest production houses in global television. The combined group's slate includes Big Brother, The Traitors, and Peaky Blinders. Banijay Americas alone, under Samek, produces CBS's Big Brother, NBC's Deal or No Deal Island, Fox's Fear Factor: House of Fear, MasterChef, and Bravo titles including Below Deck and Summer House.

All3Media, the other half of the deal, did not have a centralised U.S. operation before the merger. Its production companies — most notably Studio Lambert, which is largely based in London — developed and produced shows independently on the American side. Studio Lambert has been All3Media's most successful U.S. producer, with series including Peacock's The Traitors, Netflix's Squid Game: The Challenge, and Hulu's The Circle. Jack Burgess currently leads All3Media in the U.S.

For the viewer at home, this merger joins the company behind Below Deck with the company behind The Traitors under one roof. The creative output does not change overnight. What changes is the business structure above it.

Samek's challenge in the new role is building a U.S. infrastructure that supports the assorted production companies now sitting beneath one corporate umbrella and coordinating with their creative operations teams. All3Media had also been partnering with newer ventures — Inner Drive Entertainment, founded by Jon Barinholtz and Rob Belushi, and MindMeld Entertainment, founded by Jill Goslicky and Vivian Choi — to develop more U.S. shows.

Jeff Zucker, the former CNN and NBCUniversal executive, is Chairman of the Board of the newly combined group, which brought together assets from RedBird IMI. Zucker told Deadline that the U.S. will be one of the group's key opportunities, spanning production, live events and experiences, and digital.

Patrick Holland is expected to lead the combined group's UK operations.

Banijay Americas encompasses several production labels: Bunim-Murray Productions, Endemol Shine North America, Truly Original, 51 Minds Entertainment, and multiple companies focused on Mexican, U.S. Hispanic, and Latin American markets. The question now is how those labels, plus All3Media's companies, fit under a single American structure — and how quickly Samek can build one.