{"id":4256,"date":"2026-07-15T16:38:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T16:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4256"},"modified":"2026-07-15T16:38:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T16:38:35","slug":"banijay-and-mediawan-eye-lionsgate-studios-takeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4256","title":{"rendered":"Banijay and Mediawan Eye Lionsgate Studios Takeover"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nLionsgate Studios, the entertainment company whose library spans the \u201cHunger Games\u201d and \u201cJohn Wick\u201d franchises, has attracted acquisition interest from European media powerhouses Banijay and Mediawan.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018The Odyssey\u2019 Review: In Christopher Nolan\u2019s Vast, Thrilling, Slightly Aloof Epic, Homer Is Where the Heart Is Not<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThe Banijay interest was first reported by Reuters. Bollore, the French conglomerate that holds a controlling stake in pay-TV operator Canal+, is not bidding, Variety<\/em> has learned.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe studio, which carries a market value of some $3.8 billion, has engaged an investment bank to assess inbound approaches, the sources told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential. No deal is guaranteed, and Lionsgate could ultimately choose to remain independent.<\/p>\n

\n\tBanijay, the company behind hit franchises \u201cBig Brother\u201d and \u201cSurvivor,\u201d is weighing a bid, though any formal approach from that quarter may be delayed while the company works through its integration of All3Media, which it merged with earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\n\tLionsgate\u2019s catalog is a significant draw. Beyond the \u201cHunger Games\u201d and \u201cJohn Wick\u201d series, the studio owns the \u201cTwilight Saga\u201d franchise and distributed the Michael Jackson biopic \u201cMichael,\u201d which took in more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.<\/p>\n

\n\tLionsgate would add scripted film\/TV IP and a real studio\/library to Banijay\u2019s mostly unscripted-format business.<\/p>\n

Read more Daniel Radcliffe, Young Mazino and Peter Dinklage Join Netflix\u2019s Animated Film \u2018Steps\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tMediawan has been building their presence across English language markets \u2013 through Plan B, See-Saw Films, and most recently their acquisition of North Road. Buying a legacy Hollywood studio like Lionsgate would be a natural next step in that build-out, giving Mediawan access to mainstream theatrical franchises (\u201cJohn Wick,\u201d \u201cHunger Games,\u201d \u201cTwilight\u201d) and library scale, layered onto the U.S. production base and network it just gained through Chernin \u2014 whose group just produced the smash horror hit \u201cBackrooms,\u201d which became A24\u2019s highest-grossing release to date with over $368 million at the worldwide box office.<\/p>\n

\n\tPricing, however, has complicated matters. Lionsgate shares currently trade at roughly 26 times expected pretax profit, a premium to comparable studios, according to data from LSEG quoted by Reuters. Two sources told Reuters that earlier potential suitors walked away because of the valuation gap between what buyers were willing to pay and what shareholders expect.<\/p>\n

\n\tA separate corporate development adds texture to the picture: director and shareholder Mark Rachesky this month moved his roughly 10% stake \u2013 held via his private equity vehicle \u2013 into a newly created fund backed by RenWave Kore, per Reuters. That firm was established in 2024 by Cody Kittle, who previously worked as a portfolio manager at Elliott Investment Management, the activist investor, and is itself backed by Sequoia Heritage.<\/p>\n

\n\tLionsgate and Banijay declined to comment to Reuters. Mediawan declined to comment when Variety<\/em> reached out.<\/p>\n

Read more The Box Office Bounces Back: Gen Z, Surprise Hits and More Have Hollywood Banking on a $10 Billion Year<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lionsgate Studios, valued at $3.8 billion, has attracted takeover interest from TV production giant Banijay and the Mediawan Group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1188,3453,3454,3455],"class_list":["post-4256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-banijay","tag-bollore-group","tag-lionsgate-studios","tag-mediawan-group"],"yoast_head":"\nBanijay and Mediawan Eye Lionsgate Studios Takeover - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4256\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Banijay and Mediawan Eye Lionsgate Studios Takeover - 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