Exclusive: Banijay & Endemol Shine Turkey’s Hakan Eren settle long-running legal battle

Hakan Eren (Source: ONN Productions)

Banijay has settled its long-running dispute with Endemol Shine Turkey (EST)’s former exec Hakan Eren, following a six-year battle with the production division’s commercial chief.

Endemol Shine Group, now owned by Banijay, started closing Endemol Shine Turkey in 2017 and initiated insolvency proceedings against the division after an investigation into the business revealed what it termed as “serious management” issues.

Eren and CEO Gökan Tatarer were subsequently fired by the group, prompting a protracted legal battle, with the duo vehemently refuting the claims against them while arguing that EST was not insolvent.

That dispute ultimately ended up in the Turkish courts where Eren claimed a legal victory against the attempt to file for insolvency of EST, which had produced shows such as Intersection and Broken Pieces for Fox.

TBI has learned that Eren and Banijay have now struck a settlement, bringing the dispute between the two parties to an end, although legal action has not been concluded between the production giant and other former members of the Turkish company.

“Banijay can confirm it has reached an agreement with Mr Hakan Eren, the former Chief Commercial Officer of Endemol Shine Turkey,” Banijay confirmed to TBI. “We thank him for his collaboration during this process and wish him the best with his future endeavours.”

Eren, who has since launched ONN Productions Turkey, said: “The past years have been a challenging period.

“It is reassuring that reason and common sense have prevailed. Thanks to colleagues at Banijay, now I may completely focus on ONN’s upcoming TV productions.”

ONN was launched in 2020 and is producing films and series across both scripted and unscripted genres, with shows including Felicity, Flawless, Blindmans Buff, Naked & Lonely and The Ambassador. The company is also behind feature film Hunter – The First Prophecy (Avcı İlk Kehanet).

Four unscripted shows are also being produced including Life Treats You Perfect Or What, a talkshow format that explores the backstories of famous or public figures.