July 2025
Latest News
Banijay UK labels Initial and Zeppotron are teaming up to develop the first international adaptation of Let’s Play Ball. The comedic reality format was originally co-developed by EndemolShine Nederland (part of Banijay Benelux), Talpa Studios, and Signal.Stream, and co-produced by EndemolShine Nederland and Signal.Stream for SBS6, and will be launching this summer in the Netherlands.
Johnny Knoxville will host Fear Factor: The Next Chapter (w/t). The reimagined series will drop contestants into a brutal, remote location where they’ll face jaw-dropping stunts, high-stakes strategy, and nonstop adrenaline — all under Knoxville’s twisted guidance. Produced by Endemol Shine USA, part of Banijay Americas, Kevin Lee will serve as executive producer, alongside Endemol Shine North America’s Sharon Levy, Michael Heyerman, and Sean Loughlin.
EndemolShine Boomdog and Banijay Entertainment have partnered with acclaimed Latin American writer and producer, Leonardo Padrón to launch Leonardo Padrón Productions. The new venture will focus on developing bold premium dramas alongside A Fábrica Mexico & U.S. Hispanic, launched earlier this year.
On the Stage…
June was a particularly busy month for Banijay Entertainment, as executives took the stage at major industry events across Europe:
SXSW London
Marco Bassetti (CEO, Banijay Entertainment) and Jordan Schwarzenberger (Co-Founder, Arcade Media) discussed what it takes to build a media powerhouse and bridging the gap between creatives and creators.
Seriencamp
Johannes Jensen (Head of Scripted Business, Banijay Entertainment) joined Deadline’s Jesse Whittock for a fireside chat with on building sustainable business models, leveraging tax incentives, and the importance of talent development and creative collaboration. Steve Matthews (Head of Scripted, Creative, Banijay Entertainment) took part in “10 Good Strategies to Get a Greenlight’.
Content Warsaw
Malgorzata Perkowska (Managing Director, Endemol Shine Poland) shared insights on creating local content and emerging opportunities in the CEE region whilst Steve Matthews (Head of Scripted, Creative) joined a panel on ‘Developments: Producing for Global Markets’.
European Broadcast Union Media Summit
Cathy Payne (CEO, Banijay Rights) joined a panel on ‘Rights Strategies’ discussing current challenges and ways to improve rights conditions for EBU members.
SEG3
Carlotta Rossi Spencer (Global Head of Branded Entertainment Business Development, Banijay Entertainment) explored innovative funding models, from branded entertainment to digital creators, highlighting how shifting consumer trends accelerate content creation.
MIFA
Benoit di Sabatino (CEO, Banijay Kids & Family) took part in the ‘Coproductions and Brand Building’ panel at the Animation Film Festival.
Read the rest of the conferences
99 to Beat USA
Initial & ZnakTV, Fox
Big Brother Australia
EndemolShine Australia, Ten
Mrs Playmen
Aurora TV, Netflix
Disenchanted
Banijay Studios France, France Télévisions
In other news
Banijay Launch Winner Unveiled
Tai Hanson-Shin was the winner of the second cycle of Banijay Launch, our global accelerator program dedicated to championing emerging women creators in unscripted content. Her winning format, “The Exchange,” impressed the jury with its innovative approach to social strategy and its strong potential for international adaptation. Held in Paris, this year’s final brought together six finalists across 5 countries.
Baniday 2025
Over the last few weeks, teams across our global offices took part in our annual volunteering day dedicated to supporting a range of charities and NGOs across the DEI and sustainability space. More than 250+ employees came together to volunteer their time and skills to support 20+ charities, with more countries expected to join before the end of the year.
Sandra Hilster
CEO, Banijay Benelux
Assuming the position on 1 October 2025, Sandra joins from Dutch public broadcaster, KRO-NCRV, where she is Managing Director. She will lead all labels across the Netherlands and Belgium, setting and executing the collective strategy, directing the business, influencing innovation and spearheading best-in-class content creation across the regions.
Lottie Wilson
VP Australia and New Zealand, Banijay Rights
Based in Sydney, Lottie will handle Banijay Rights’ sales strategy across Australia and New Zealand, representing the global distributor’s 205k-hour catalogue — with a focus on finished tape exploitation. She joined from BBC Studios, where she was Head of Acquisitions, Branded Services, ANZ, setting the direction and strategy across the company’s branded services in the region.
Mimi Klein
Producer, MadeFor Film
Mimi joined MadeFor as a Producer where she will focus on developing scripted projects. With over 15 years in the film industry—including founding her own company, a little. film production—Mimi has produced acclaimed titles such as Die letzte Sau and the short film Kleptomami. Her recent projects include Die Niete des Polizisten and ZERV – Zeit der Abrechnung, both set to premiere at major film festivals.
Dawn Peters
Internal Audit Manager, Banijay Entertainment
Dawn joins from WPP, where she was an Internal Audit Manager. She will be responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of internal controls, risk management processes, and governance systems to ensure the business operates efficiently and complies with relevant regulations and policies.
Harini Daddalla
Group Senior Program Manager, Banijay Entertainment
Harini has joined the Project Core team, working in the Digital & Innovation team. With over 15 years of experience in media, tech, and entertainment, Harini has led major digital transformation projects at Paramount+, Sky, and Accenture. She will help drive our global cloud and content modernisation programme, collaborating with teams across 130+ OpCos and working closely with our cloud transformation partner, Base. Her expertise will be instrumental in rolling out cloud-native solutions, AWS integrations, and MAM tools across the Group.
Lorraine Black
Strategic Sourcing Manager, Banijay Entertainment
Lorraine is responsible for developing and implementing sourcing strategies that optimise value across the Group. She works closely with production and corporate teams to negotiate key supplier contracts, manage procurement processes, and ensure cost-effective, high-quality solutions across categories such as post-production, technology, and facilities.
Marco Bassetti, CEO of Banijay Entertainment is set to receive the Variety Vanguard Award at MIPCOM. The award recognises television industry leaders who have made a significant contribution to the global business of entertainment.
Endemol Shine Australia has received 10 nominations at the 2025 Logie Awards.
Following the latest Banijay Rights’ deal, MasterChef hits 71 territories with Sri Lanka adaptation.
July
29
Global Pride Gathering
October
13-16
MIPCOM
Thanks for reading!
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