Indian adaptations of Suits, Saturday Night Live in pipeline after Banijay Asia, NBCUniversal Formats ink deal

Production banner Banijay Asia and NBCUniversal Formats, a division of Universal Studio Group, have signed a co-production deal to create Indian versions of popular shows like Suits, House and Saturday Night Live!. As part of the agreement, Banijay Asia will now represent and work with Universal Studio Group to create local versions of award-winning scripted and entertainment titles that also include The Titan Games and Top Chef. “The carefully curated portfolio will be reimagined for a new audience across the linguistically diverse and culturally rich region, having already achieved great success in the US and across the globe,” a press release from Banijay Asia read. The deal is the first co-production agreement for NBCUniversal Formats in India, as it strives to create more local content across Asia and the globe. The production house has already adapted its popular legal drama Suits for audiences in Japan and South Korea. Comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live! also has its own local versions in Japan, China and South Korea, while Top Chef has been performing well in countries like Thailand and Vietnam. Enrique Guillen, EVP, Commercial Strategy & International Development, Universal Studio Group, said all of the company’s titles and its characters have a proven “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,” Guillen added. Deepak Dhar, CEO and Founder, Banijay Asia, said, “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.”