Banijay strikes NBCU formats pact to remake ‘Suits’, ‘Top Chef’ & more in India

Suits (Japan)

NBCUniversal Formats has struck a co-production deal with Banijay in Asia to adapt a number of its formats including Suits, House and Top Chef in India.

Banijay Asia will represent and work with NBCU’s Universal Studio Group to create local versions of scripted and entertainment titles including House, Monk, Saturday Night Live, The Titan Games and Top Chef across the region.

The deal marks the first co-production agreement for NBCU Formats in India, following remakes of Suits in Japan and Korea. Saturday Night Live has also been remade in Japan, China and Korea, while Top Chef has been adapted in Thailand and Vietnam.

Enrique Guillen, EVP of commercial strategy & international development for Universal Studio Group, said: “These stories, characters and formats have proven to have universal appeal. The broad reach and expertise of Banijay Asia across scripted and unscripted content makes them our ideal partner to develop and produce these titles for Indian audiences in the language and form that they prefer.”

Deepak Dhar, CEO and founder of Banijay Asia, added: “These titles are proven hits and carry significant gravitas in the market, with many ingrained in the cultural zeitgeist worldwide. Entertaining, story-driven and hugely adaptable, there is no doubt, with the right talent and partners, we can get India talking about these shows too.”

It is the latest development for Banijay Asia, which was launched as a joint venture with Deepak Dhar in 2018. The division recently linked up with Bear Grylls’ prodco The Natural Studios – another Banijay JV – to create long and short-form content for both local and global platforms.