Louise Pedersen is leaving the merged Banijay Entertainment and All3Media production and sales giant, we have learned, with Cathy Payne set to run an enlarged distribution unit.

The widely-respected Pedersen left her role as CEO at All3Media International as the deal bringing together Banijay and RedBird IMI’s All3 assets closed, we understand. Staff were informed of her departure on Thursday.

Pedersen’s exit left the path open for current Banijay Rights CEO Cathy Payne to remain in post,news Banijay Entertainment has confirmed that in the past few minutes. “Given the integration can only begin now, it is too early to comment any further on the organisation of the distribution business or its team,” added a spokesperson.

UK-based All3Media International was the distribution wing of All3, selling the likes of The Traitors, Midsomer Murders and Gogglebox around the world. Like its parent, the merger has put an end to the brand, with the combined London-based sales division operating as Banijay Rights going forwards.

Banijay Rights will have a catalog of 265,000 hours, combining the All3 library and Banijay titles such as MasterChef, Big Brother, Peaky Blinders, Survivor and Deal or No Deal.

Jane Turton, the former All3 boss who is now Deputy CEO of Banijay Entertainment said: “I very much look forward to working with Cathy as she brings the All3Media International and Banijay Rights businesses together. Cathy is a hugely experienced and respected strategic leader in the world of rights exploitation and it is an exciting time to be combining these two market leading companies and catalogues.”

“Working with Louise has been a genuine pleasure,” added Turton. She has been a trusted colleague for many years and has led All3Media International with great creative and commercial judgement. Louise’s knowledge and expertise is immense – as is her passion for television. I would like to say a huge thank you on behalf of everyone across the business and wish her all the very best for the future.”  

Pedersen said it “feel like a good time to think about the next challenge” as she thanked her colleagues and added: “I am very proud of the business we have built and would like to thank everyone who has been a part of that, both in the UK and internationally.”

Payne praised All3, saying it “has long been a beacon for brilliant formats, scripted titles, and premium English-language content that delivers for linear, streamers and new platforms.”

“While the IP of course sits at the heart of the combination, for me it’s also about the people,” she added. “In All3Media International and Banijay Rights, we have an exceptional breadth of talent and uniting them will deliver us quite possibly the strongest team in our space. While it will be some time until we are ‘one,’ I am confident that we will be well-placed to continue delivering growth for the group at-large.”

With the new-look Banijay situation moving quickly, we hear that All3Media’s Group Director of Communications, Mike Large, has also exited. The industry veteran has been with the business since 2020.

“Working with Mike has been a complete pleasure and his contribution to All3Media has been immense. His judgement is always spot on and his guidance to me and to the leaders of the business has been invaluable over the past years.

“Mike is passionate and very knowledgeable about television, is always an astute observer of trends in the sector and how to position All3Media to maximum benefit. Having Mike in the team has been a privilege – he has been a great colleague, and I would like to thank him on behalf of everyone across the business and wish him all the very best for the future.”

Busy week in UK M&A

Pedersen has sat at the top of All3Media International since 2016, replacing Steve Macallister. Prior to that she had a relatively short spell setting up and then leading the UK arm of Colin Callendar’s Playground.

She had previously run All3 International as Managing Director, having first joined in 2004 after a run leading Carlton International Sales, which is now part of ITV Studios. Her reputation among All3 staff is strong, with many praising her business smarts and supportive nature.

The news comes at the end of a whirlwind week in the UK. It began with most of England staying up to the small hours to watch England defeat Mexico 3-2 in an all-time classic World Cup fixture. Hours later, Sky announced it had struck an agreement to buy commercial broadcaster ITV for £1.6B ($2.1B).

That seismic news meant that Banijay and All3 production and sales competitor ITV Studios (ITVS) will soon become an independent player and potential takeover target, as it is not included in the purchase. ITV CEO Carolyn McCall has played down the need to sell and instead suggested ITVS will be a buyer.

Yesterday, the Sky-ITV deal was followed by the news Banijay and All3 owner RedBird IMI had completed the merger of their production and sales businesses. This created an $8B revenue behemoth that claims to be the largest fully-independent TV production business in the world.

The deal, first announced in March, comes as global entertainment companies seek scale to compete with the likes of YouTube and Netflix amid a tough economic climate for production.

Banijay, led by founder Stephane Courbit and CEO Marco Bassetti, had following this roadmap for many years before industrial and geopolitical events of the post-Covid era pushed many towards a scale-for-safety strategy. It been aggressively buy up rivals players such as Zodiak Media and Endemol Shine Group over the past decade, and market watchers are already linking the company to a bid for ITVS.

Quizzed about a potential ITVS move by Deadline yesterday, Zucker replied: “The answer to that is that we would look at every possibility. There’s nothing that we’ve decided today, and there’s nothing that we’re going to take off the table either.”