French TV production company Banijay Group, backed by French media and telecom giant Vivendi, has closed its acquisition of Endemol Shine from Disney and Apollo Global Management, creating a global production titan that will be the largest TV producer outside the U.S.
Sophie Turner Laing, CEO of Endemol Shine, said she was leaving now that the deal was closed. Banijay and Endemol recently received European Union anti-trust approval to complete the mega-merger, which will create a new international production giant.
The takeover combines Banijay's entertainment and reality-TV franchises, including Keeping Up With the Kardashians,Survivor,Temptation Island and Wife Swap, with Endemol Shine's library of unscripted hits, among theBig.
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