Be in the Know – May

June 2024

Latest News

As part of a group-wide rebrand, which leverages the worldwide power of the existing Banijay brand, we’ve had a makeover. We are now known as Banijay Entertainment and Banijay Live — encompassing our production, distribution and live events businesses. Retaining our iconic pink B, unveiling a standout blue identity for Banijay Live, and introducing new straplines to both pillars, we continue our journey as a global content powerhouse and home for leading talent under the direction of CEO, Marco Bassetti.

Following a record-breaking debut season, Endemol Shine North America’s Deal Or No Deal Island has been renewed for a second season on NBC. Reaching 30m viewers across linear and digital platforms,and averaging 5.8 million total viewers, the series ranked as the #1 NBC unscripted show on Peacock, and currently holds the position of the streamer’s most watched unscripted NBC premiere.

Banijay UK has announced the acquisition of independent scripted business, Caryn Mandabach Productions (CMP), founded by award-winning, Peaky Blinders-producer Caryn Mandabach. The deal further formalises the existing relationship the group had with the company, and it will now manage all future series, spin-offs, and brand ventures including the Peaky Blinders movie recently green-lit by Netflix, and CMP’s slate of projects and back catalogue transfers to Banijay UK. 

Getting to know…

Today we find out more about Veronica Priefer and Johannes Kunkel, Founders and Managing Directors at Dynamic Ally Pictures, who recently joined Banijay Germany’s portfolio of production labels.

Why did you think now was the right time to partner with Banijay?

Veronica: We had just wrapped-up a couple of shows for a big German production company, and we felt it was the right moment for us to start a new chapter. We were looking for a partner that embraced an entrepreneurial spirit, innovative drive and with a powerful network of professionals — all of which we have found in Banijay. We are extremely impressed by the people we have met so far, and we’re excited to be part of this group. 

Hannes: From an external perspective, joining the Banijay Germany family has proven to be a wise decision for many, and the timing couldn’t be better for us!

What are Dynamic Ally’s key priorities going forward and have you got anything in the pipeline you can share with us? 

Veronica: As a newly established company, we specialise in the development, packaging, and financing of scripted projects. We operate as a boutique, prioritising a number of ventures, and at the moment, we are mainly focusing on two projects: an escapist thriller show about a new megatrend, which we believe will change the world as we know it; and a more classic crime and action show.

Hannes: We are both writer-producers, so we handle most of the development in-house. However, it’s also a key priority for us to collaborate with top creative talent, and we’re actively securing a couple of book and article rights for adaptation.

Which genre are you seeing a lot of demand for?

Hannes: We noticed that viewers tend to be more interested in watching procedurals or limited series… shows with an end in sight. 

Veronica: With technological advances and the diversification of broadcasters and streamers, there is an incredibly wide range of genres today. There are definitely fewer limits as to what we can produce in the German market than at the start of our careers.

Which project have you been most proud of? 

Hannes: In addition to the joy of creating shows, each project has provided invaluable learning opportunities with unique highlights, and we’re deeply thankful to have worked with such inspiring colleagues who we’d love to collaborate with again.

What do you do for fun outside of work?

Veronica: We spend a lot of time sitting, so we try to stay active! After a break of 20 years, I’ve started horse-riding again — it’s a great pastime and I love being around animals and nature.

Hannes: We also have an abandoned tennis court right behind our house, which we use a lot and share with people in the neighbourhood.

Read the rest of the interview

In this month's episode, find out more about our ESG priorities, Banijay Green's ambitions, and Banijay France's Ecoprod initiative.

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

Content Warsaw

Content Warsaw took place on the 3rd-6th June, bringing together industry experts to explore the latest trends impacting the Central and Eastern European (CEE) content business. 

Endemol Shine Poland’s Managing Director Małgorzata Perkowska-Czaja was joined by a panel of her peers to discuss the international and local trends impacting the CEE content business and what opportunities lie ahead. 

Banijay Entertainment’s Content Executive, Steve Matthews, participated as a judge for C21’s CoPro Pitch, which showcased some of the most exciting scripted and unscripted developments from established producers within CEE. 

Watch the trailer here

Totally Spies! Launch

Totally Spies! season 7 has made its global debut! The beloved animated series returned on May 12th, launching first in France on Gulli. After a decade-long hiatus, our favourite spies — Sam, Clover, and Alex — are back in action.

It is produced by Banijay Kids & Family, in collaboration with commissioning broadcasters Gulli in France, and Warner Bros. Discovery in Latin America, EMEA, and the USA.

Rajesh Chadha

Chief Operating Officer, Banijay Asia, Scripted

Previously serving as EVP & Business Head for scripted, Rajesh has been pivotal in driving the success of Banijay Asia’s scripted content across various platforms. In his elevated role, Rajesh will spearhead the development, production, and strategic operations of the scripted division. His promotion is in line with Banijay Asia’s commitment to strengthen its market leadership in producing compelling, narrative-driven content.

Louisa FitzGerald

Director of Development, Rabbit Track Pictures

In this newly created role, Louisa will focus on building and progressing a slate of diverse projects, from limited series with strong authored voices to returning original series that can launch newer writing talent. She joined from Raw TV where she was previously Head of Development.

Anna-Lena Pittelkow 

Creative Director, Banijay Media Germany

Previously Managing Director and Chief Creative Transformation Officer at Grabarz & Partner, Anna-Lena brings a wealth of experience to this new role, driving creative strategy and campaign development. Together with the Sales & Brand Partnerships team, she will spearhead strategic development, creating tailored brand experiences across all media and platforms.

Mirjan Hildebrandt

Head of Digital Distribution & Content Acquisition, Banijay Media Germany

Formerly at WDR Mediagroup, Mirjan joins Banijay Media Germany as Head of Digital Distribution & Content Acquisition. He is tasked with expanding its FAST channel offering, among other responsibilities.

Isabelle Helle

SVP German-Speaking Territories and Poland, Banijay Rights

Isabelle will be responsible for executing Banijay Rights’ co-production sales strategy across German-speaking Europe and Poland, where she will represent the leading distributor’s 185,000+ hour-strong catalogue. Previously, Isabelle was Director of BBC Worldwide Germany, and has most recently been running her own consultancy, managing various domestic and international projects including high-end coproduction deals.

Andrew Dickens

SVP Communications & Marketing, Banijay Rights

Following a period of re-structure, Andrew has been promoted to lead the Banijay Rights communications and marketing department, assuming the title of SVP Communications & Marketing. He has spearheaded Banijay Rights’ press and media strategy over the past three years, helping to grow and evolve the profile of the division, particularly around major industry events such as the London TV Screenings and MIPCOM. Other promotions within the team include Archie Grossart to Trade Market & Festival Manager and MJ Vuillermet to Marketing Executive.

Kate Humphreys

Chief Communications Officer, Banijay

Kate has been promoted to Chief Communications Officer of Banijay’s 23-territory footprint group. Having joined the company in 2018, she is in charge of setting and executing the group’s global communications strategy and managing a team across internal and external communication and events. Under her new role, she will continue serving as an adviser for the business, and partner to the executive team and country CEOs. She works across both newly-named units; Banijay Entertainment and Banijay Live.

Kateryna Boichuk

HR & Talent Management Coordinator, Banijay

Kate joined us from SoftServe, with more than 5 years of experience as a Human Resources Specialist. She reports to the Global Head of Talent Management and Head of HR UK, and works across the recruitment process, onboarding, group policies and HR operations.

Secret Story had a stellar come-back in France after a 7-year hiatus! Launched in April, Secret Story peaked at 1.6M viewers, scoring impressive figures, and had over 250K mentions on social media!

For the second year in a row, Banijay has been named K7’s Distributor of the Year. 2023’s Tracking The Giants report recognised the group for the greatest number of new format launches, and for having the highest amount of active formats. 

Endemol Shine Boomdog has been ranked as one of the best companies to work for in Mexico in 2024.

Certified by Great Place To Work, this is the second consecutive year Endemol Shine Boomdog has been included in the list.

June

24

Global Pride Event