Banijay Group Taps Endemol Shine Alum as Italy CEO

Banijay Group has appointed former Endemol Shine Group executive Paolo Bassetti as its CEO for Italy.

In his new role, Bassetti will be charged with overseeing the group’s entities in Italy. These include Magnolia, Nonpanic, Aurora TV, DRYMEDIA, L’Officina, Atlantis and the newly launched Banijay Studios Italy. He will also take charge of the business operations in Spain and collaborate closely with Stefano Torrisi, the executive VP of Banijay Group’s Italian and Spanish operations.

Bassetti joins Banijay Group from Endemol Shine Group where, until February 2018, he served as CEO and chairman of the Italian arm of the business and was a member of the international board. During his tenure, Bassetti led all operations across the territory and managed the team through the production of hit titles such as Grande Fratello (Big Brother), Affari Tuoi (Deal or no Deal), La Prova del Cuoco (Ready Steady Cook), Chi Vuol Essere Milionario? (Who Wants to be a Millionaire?), Avanti un Altro (Next One!), MasterChef, Cucine da Incubo (Kitchen Nightmares), Che tempo che fa, Tale Quale Show (Your Face Sounds Familiar), I Soliti Ignoti (Identity) and Caduta Libera (Still Standing). Under his leadership, the company also produced a host of fiction shows, including Scomparsa (Tangled Lies), Sorelle (Sisters), Un’Altra Vita (A Second Chance), Le Tre Rose di Eva (Tuscan Passion) and soap operas such as Vivere and Centovetrine.

Marco Bassetti, the CEO of Banijay Group commented, “I’m looking forward to working with Paolo again and firmly believe he is the right fit to oversee the two territories. Bringing extensive expertise, relationships and regional knowledge, he is the perfect leader to take our business to the next level in Italy and Spain.”

Paolo Bassetti added, “I am truly excited and honored to become a member of a great group like Banijay that, as a competitor, I have watched carefully and closely in the last years. The group has great talent across Italy and Spain and I can’t wait to join them, learn from them and focus on our future together.”