With nearly 200 unscripted titles launched by some of its 120 labels last year, Banijay is a leader in the entertainment field. The group, which also promotes a catalogue of +120,000 hours through Banijay Rights, is not only pushing its big global brands but also new trend-setting IP that has the capacity to travel and captivate new audiences.
In 2020, the company was undergoing the integration with Endemol Shine Group and, of course, battling the pandemic. ‘It’s safe to say we had no boring moments in the last two years!’ said James Townley, Global Head of Content Development. ‘We have an international and highly-creative network of talent that delivers a huge volume of content every year.’
Apart from the well-known MasterChef, Temptation Island, Lego Masters, Hunted and Survivor, the company is heavily investing in new IP to supercharge the development pipeline: ‘We have implemented a multi-million-pound fund to create new content, and as a group, we are also significantly investing in new off-screen talent acquisitions and development to ensure we continue to innovate and diversify our offering. New opportunities are coming from everywhere and we see huge growth in regions like Latin America, Germany, the Nordics, Asia, among others. We are always looking for the next hit’, added the executive.
Driving developments and creative communities is part of Banijay’s DNA, described Townley. ‘The majority of our titles come from Europe, and we are seeing diversification within the continent. Along with the UK and US, the Nordics which is strong on educational entertainment (Drag Me Out) and climate change (Climate Bootcamp), and the Netherlands which is always a hotbed of ideas (Blow Up), other territories are developing fantastic content such as Italy (new Netflix format coming soon), Germany (Chefs to Go) and Australia (hot new format launching this year), just to name a few!’
Outside Europe, the executive is particularly interested in Asia. While the business has two successful entities in India – Banijay Asia and Endemol Shine India – he is also looking beyond, with special focus on regions including Korea and Thailand. ‘Even though we do not operate a label in these regions, we are very close to these territories, partnering with local producers and looking for the best ideas: when you combine a great idea with strong talent, you have a hit. No matter where the idea originates from. Recent third-party format acquisitions include Bloody Game and Exchange from Korea and Trick House from Japan’, Townley added.
Trends? ‘Reality, entertainment, dating, food, home makeover, comedy, documentaries and adventure are taking the lead and we have a strong pipeline of these formats coming through. We are seeing an increased demand for big entertainment formats, with very successful launches in the UK; high-energy singing talent show Starstruck and Limitless Win (created by Hello Dolly), which we have the international format rights to. Technology is also changing the way we entertain: Your Body Uncovered (BBC Two) is a good example combining the hugely topical health and wellbeing genre with the latest VR tech’, he added.
‘Within Reality, Dating is always very popular (from new Regency-style dating format The Courtship which premiered on March 6 on NBC to Channel 4’s relationship social experiment Language of Love and the Endemol Shine Australia produced Married At First Sight Australia) as well as Beach Reality (Temptation Island continues to dominate ratings worldwide), Competitive Reality (MasterChef has now surpassed 500 seasons worldwide since its 2005 reboot) and Adventure Reality (Survivor, Hunted and The Bridge are going from strength to strength, plus Shaolin Heroes is an epic new series which utilizes our expertise with big adventure brands). Soft scripted reality is also proving popular with global audiences, and we’ve seen success in this genre with shows like The Ferragnez – The Series on Prime Video”, explained Townley.
In the context of so much new IP hitting the market, Prensario asked Townley why buyers still have an appetite for the traditional, well-renowned, returning brands: ‘In a generally risk averse market, there is a huge global confidence that these super brands consistently deliver audiences. This is not only true for linear players, but also for the streamers that need to attract new users/subscribers. SVODs are producing formats and chasing the same audience as TV channels and trying to keep them locked in on their platforms. The majority of them are looking for similar types of programming and if there is a ‘bingeability’ element to the format, then all the better… Banijay’s strength is that it is able to utilise its track record for creating, producing and delivering global formats – our long-standing relationships with clients puts us in a great position to engineer new IP onto screens globally’, he answered.
To conclude, Townley named five highlights for MIPTV: the entertaining and bold Starstruck, which premiered in February to stellar ratings on ITV (UK) bringing nostalgia and talent to screens; prime-time gameshow Limitless Win which was ITV’s biggest brand-new entertainment series launch since The Masked Singer; reality dating shows The Courtship (NBC) and Language of Love (Channel 4); and the tech medical show Your Body Uncovered (BBC).
