Peaky Blinders producer Banijay seals $5B deal to create gambling giant

The producers of hit shows like The Peaky Blinders have put pen to paper on a £4 billion ($5.28 billion) gambling deal.

Banijay Group (Banijay) is responsible for the Cillian Murphy-led gangster show, alongside other television brands like Big Brother and Masterchef.

Now the production company is entering into the entertainment and gambling sector with a deal to take the majority of CVC Capital Partners VII’s stake in Tipico Group (Tipico) and to create a whole new entity, Banijay Gaming.

CVC announces Banijay gambling deal

CVC published a press statement about the billion-dollar deal to move its lion’s share in Tipico to Banijay. The deal, according to CVC, will also see the creation of a “European champion in sports betting and online gaming.”

This is in reference to the finer points of the deal, where the French company Betclic and the existing shares of Tipico will merge to create a new entity, Banijay Gaming.

A statement by Tipico explained the deal as “Banijay Group will buy the major stake of CVC in Tipico in cash, and all shareholders of Betclic and Tipico, including the respective founders, will become shareholders of the combined entity.”

The Tipico release suggests that Banijay will double its expected revenue by bringing these two betting companies together. The deal would mean that Banijay Gaming would have an audience of “almost 6.5m unique active players annually, operate more than 1,250 betting shops in Germany and Austria and employ 5,300 employees.”

Tipico merges in bid to become European betting powerhouse

CEO of Banijay Group, François Riahi, said of the merger, “I am particularly pleased to see that Tipico founders have decided to partner with us to build a new European leader in the sports betting business, rolling over all their stake in Tipico into Banijay Gaming, which is fully consistent with our DNA to gather strong entrepreneurs for the long term and a testimony to their trust in the future value creation.”

Banijay a racheté Tipico