Ben Samek, CEO of Banijay Americas, is set to oversee the newly combined Banijay Entertainment’s operations in the United States following the completion of the $8 billion merger between Banijay and All3Media. The deal, finalized earlier this month, created what the two companies have called the world’s largest independent production company. The formal paperwork confirming Samek’s role has not yet been signed, though that is understood to be largely a procedural matter given the summer slowdown in Europe. The newly merged group, responsible for series including “Big Brother,” “The Traitors” and “Peaky Blinders,” has flagged the U.S. as one of its biggest growth opportunities going forward.

Banijay Entertainment is now headquartered in London and jointly owned by Banijay Group and RedBird IMI, each holding a 50% stake, with Jeff Zucker serving as chairman, Marco Bassetti as CEO and Jane Turton as deputy CEO. Zucker, in comments to Deadline, pointed to opportunities across production, live events and digital as reasons the U.S. market stands out for the combined company, adding that expansion there is a priority going forward.

Banijay Americas’ stable includes Bunim-Murray Productions (Paramount+’s “The Challenge” and an upcoming Alan Ritchson survival series for Netflix), Endemol Shine North America (“MasterChef,” “Deal or No Deal Island,” “Fear Factor,” “Lego Masters”), Truly Original (“Summer House,” “In the City,” “Next Gen NYC”) and 51 Minds Entertainment (the “Below Deck” franchise), along with several companies serving the Mexican, U.S. Hispanic and broader Latin American markets. All3Media’s U.S. footprint centers on London-based Studio Lambert, its most successful producer stateside, with credits including Peacock’s “The Traitors,” an upcoming Netflix adaptation of Monopoly, “Squid Game: The Challenge” and Hulu’s reboot of “The Circle.”

Samek has served as CEO of Banijay Americas since February 2023, having previously held the role of president and chief operating officer since 2018. His appointment to lead the combined U.S. business is not seen as a surprise: he has already been running the group behind CBS’s “Big Brother,” NBC’s “Deal or No Deal Island,” Fox’s “Fear Factor: House of Fear” and “MasterChef,” along with several Bravo titles including “Below Deck” and “Summer House.” By contrast, All3Media operated under a more decentralized, “federal” system of production companies and had little centralized presence in the U.S., generally leaving labels such as “The Traitors” producer Studio Lambert to develop and produce shows independently. That contrast is expected to shape Samek’s mandate: building an infrastructure that can unify the various U.S. production companies and creative teams under one roof — a task considered somewhat more contained than the parallel effort in the U.K., expected to be led by Patrick Holland, where the mix of scripted and unscripted labels is larger.

Samek’s rise through the ranks began at Bunim/Murray Productions, where he later won an Emmy as a producer on “The Amazing Race,” before becoming COO of 51 Minds Entertainment. He joined Endemol USA as COO in 2014, moved to the same role at Endemol Shine North America in 2015, and was promoted to president and COO of that division in January 2018. His remit expanded to cover Banijay’s U.S. and Latin American operations after Banijay acquired Endemol Shine Group in 2020. Among his recent initiatives, Samek has driven the expansion of Netflix’s “Somebody Feed Phil” into a broader YouTube deal and pushed the company into immersive experiences to extend its IP beyond television.

https://senalnews.com/en/content/ben-samek-to-lead-banijays-us-operations-after-all3media-merger