Click here to read the full article.
Live entertainment production company Balich Wonder Studio — the Banijay-owned outfit that has delivered six FIFA World Cup ceremonies, culminating in the soccer tournament’s star-studded closing on Sunday — is expanding
by opening offices in New York, Los Angeles and Mexico City.
The move from the Milan-based studio, which is headed by creative director and executive producer Marco Balich — who has 17 Olympic ceremonies and numerous other top global events under his belt — comes after a peak period and aims to accelerate the studio’s next phase of growth.
Besides the World Cup, the years 2025 and 2026 have also seen Balich shepherd the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the UEFA Champions League soccer tournament’s final kick-off show and the preamble to the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 in Morocco, bolstering Balich Wonder Studios’ status “as one of the world’s leading creators of extraordinary cultural moments experienced by billions of people around the world,” as a statement put it.
Balich Wonder Studio’s global footprint now comprises hubs in New York, Los Angeles and Mexico City in addition to Milan, Paris, Dubai, Riyadh and Shanghai, “each anchored in a key growth market for live entertainment, sport and IP-development,” the statement said.
News of Balich Wonder Studio’s expansion follows the completion earlier this month of the $8 billion merger of Banijay Entertainment and RedBird IMI-owned All3Media, creating what the two have described as “the world’s largest independent production company.”
By drawing on Banijay Entertainment’s worldwide content and digital capabilities, along with RedBird IMI’s expertise across sport, media and investment Balich Wonder Studio is now “uniquely positioned to create extraordinary live experiences that capture global attention and evolve across platforms and markets,” the statement noted.
“Banijay Entertainment has grown into a global media and entertainment powerhouse built on creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, outstanding talent, and international reach,” said Banijay Entertainment CEO Marco Bassetti in the statement.
“Meanwhile, Balich Wonder Studio, has become one of the world’s leading creators of live experiences, trusted by many of sports’ most significant rights holders,” Bassetti added. “Uniting our combined expertise across content and live, with RedBird IMI’s unique strengths across media, sport and investment, we have the opportunity, in bolstering our footing in North America, to create something distinctive: a global platform capable of transforming the world’s biggest live moments far beyond the events themselves.”
Added Jeff Zucker, CEO of Redbird IMI and chairman of Banijay Entertainment: “It’s so exciting to see the expansion of Balich Wonder Studio into North America just as we have competed the merger of Banijay and All3Media. Growing our footprint in North America and in live production are two of our strategic imperatives, and I am thrilled we are able to do this so quickly.”
