Banijay Group is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay Group is present in 16 territories.
Banijay Group is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay Group is present in 16 territories.

Tag Archive: Brainpool

  1. Nico Rossmann Joins Banijay Germany’s Brainpool TV

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    Banijay today announces Nico Rossman will join Brainpool TV GmbH, part of Banijay Germany, as the Co-Managing Director, where he will be responsible for overseeing a new comedy unit within the label. He joins the management team alongside Brainpool CEO, Marcus Wolter, and Co-Managing Director, Godehard Wolpers.

    Rossmann is a TV producer with a passion for entertainment. Joining from RTL Television, where he was Head of Comedy, he developed and oversaw shows including Ninja Warrior Germany and Frei Schnauze, as well as the stage shows for comedians such as Carolin Kebekus, Sascha Grammel, Chris Tall, and the Ehrlich Brothers. Prior to RTL Germany, he held positions at Tresor TV and Norddeich TV.

    Marcus Wolter, CEO Banijay Germany and CEO Brainpool says: “Nico is an excellent creator of comedy and entertainment formats. I am very pleased that he has accepted the role of Co-Managing Director for Brainpool. With Raab TV, Godehard Wolpers and Nico, we will be ideally positioned to build on our comedy offerings, big shows, and relationship with artists. Welcome, Nico!”

    Nico Rossmann adds: “In my opinion, Brainpool is Germany’s number one comedy brand, with decades of entertainment experience. It also operates to the highest standards and is incredibly innovative. That’s why I’m very pleased to help shape the future of this successful label, both on the production side and in the development of future hit formats alongside the outstanding team. My thanks go to RTL Germany, especially Markus Küttner, for six great years in the TV entertainment department.”

    Brainpool TV, founded in 1994, is a leading production company in Germany. It boasts an impressive slate of titles including Beat the Star, Catch!, Ladykracker and the Free European Song Contest.

  2. Banijay Italia Scores First International Version of Star in the Star

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    Banijay today confirms Canale 5 has commissioned Banijay Italia to produce a primetime run of Star in the Star. This marks the first international adaptation of the musical guessing show, originally created by Banijay Germany’s Brainpool.

     

    Even celebrities have people they look up to! Hosted in Italy by Ilary Blasi, Star in the Star prepares celebrities to sing and perform just like their idols with coaching, special effects, make-up and styling. Once they have transformed into iconic, well-known musicians, it is up to a comedy panel to work out who the famous faces are. To help them out, cryptic clues are offered throughout the performance and at the end of every show, there is an epic reveal where the least convincing celebrity must peel off their new face and disclose their true identity.

     

    Originally created by Banijay Germany label, Brainpool, Star in the Star first aired on RTL in 2020 and was the #1 programme of the night on the commercial target.

     

    Fabrizio Ievolella, Chief Executive Officer of Banijay Italia says, “Having seen the show’s success in Germany, we are excited to be the first country to adapt this format for local audiences.  We have tailored the show for the Italian audience which we expect will further increase its international appeal.”

     

    Lucas Green, Global Head of Content Operations adds, “We see fantastic international potential for Brainpool’s format, and with Banijay Italia’s reputation for delivering high-quality shows like Guess My Age and Chef’s League, its local version of Star in the Star is set to entertain.”

     

    Banijay Italia’s slate boasts hit formats such as Survivor, which recently broke records in Italy with its Celebrity iteration, and award-winning documentary, Ferro, for Amazon Prime. Brainpool is known for entertaining the nation with brands like Free European Song Contest and FameMaker, the latter which increased Pro 7’s total market share amongst 14–49 year-olds by 30%.

  3. Banijay Finalises Structure in Germany

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    Banijay today confirms Marcus Wolter will lead its German operations following the recent acquisition of Endemol Shine Group. As Banijay Germany’s CEO and Co-Partner, he will oversee the country’s portfolio of companies which include Brainpool, for which he also acts as MD, Banijay Productions, Good Times, Endemol Shine Germany, MadeFor, Raab TV, Lucky Pics and MTS Künstler Management among others.

     

    Representing the group’s ethos of “storymaking set free”, Banijay Germany is a leading collective of independent entertainment producers and creative entrepreneurs. Investing in innovative and fresh content that is born locally and travels globally, the business is behind some of the country’s best-loved productions including Masked Singer (ProSieben), Schlag den Star (Beat the Star) (ProSieben), Wer wird Millionär? (Who Wants to be a Millionaire) (RTL), Tatort Weimar und Tatort Dresden (Das Erste), Temptation Island (TVNow / RTL), Promi Big Brother (Celebrity Big Brother) (Sat.1), Promis unter Palmen (Sat.1), Kitchen Impossible (VOX), Luke! Die Greatnightshow (Sat.1) and Free European Song Contest (ProSieben).

     

    Wolter joined the business back in 2018 from Endemol Shine Germany, where he was CEO, and Chairman Northern Europe for Endemol Shine Group.

     

    The country’s newly finalised structure also sees Fabian Tobias, currently Managing Director of Brainpool’s Show and Factual Division, take up the role of Managing Director for Endemol Shine Germany. He will be joined by Ute März, who has been appointed co-CEO of the entity, having served as Chief Finance Officer since 2002. The leaders of Banijay Germany’s other entities remain unchanged.

     

    Marco Bassetti, Chief Executive Officer at Banijay comments: “In Marcus we have an exceptionally strong and strategic leader. Familiar with both sides of the footprint, he is well-placed to oversee the country’s seamless integration, while driving efficient and effective businesses for the future. Having already proven their strength in generating new IP alongside the production of key group-owned IP, his network of companies, along with the new additions, provide an incredibly diverse offering for clients and audiences alike.”

     

    Marcus Wolter, CEO and co-partner Banijay Germany comments:“Banijay Germany prides itself on developing, creating and producing some of the country’s best brands. By bringing together this excellent collective of first-class producers, partners, artists and colleagues, we are building a home for the best creative talent to devise the next generation of entertainment for all platforms. Our business was built on independence, creative freedom and creative entrepreneurialism and I am dedicated to working with our new team to see this live on.”

     

    Magnus Kastner, who has served as CEO at Endemol Shine Germany since 2018, will step down from his role.

  4. Big Performance – wer ist der Star im Star? Jennifer Lopez, Mick Jagger, Adele?!

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    Brainpool, a Banijay company, confirms thatits new entertainment show, Big Performance – wer ist der Star im Star?will air on RTL this autumn. Jennifer Lopez, Mick Jagger, Tom Jones, Katy Perry, Adele and Prince – the audience will see the world’s biggest popstars come together on stage and sing their greatest hits. But the big question is, who’s the star in the star?

     

    Behind each world-famous singer is a German celebrity transformed into their favorite music legend with the help of an elaborate special-effect mask, as well as professional coaching to perfect their idols’ facial expressions, gestures, singing voice and dance routines. Which celebrity fan delivers the most accurate emotional and unique transformation? Who succeeds in the perfect illusion?

     

    Hosted by Daniel Hartwich, the Saturday night show will feature spectacularly-staged performances, a comedy panel and studio audience. All they have to do is guess which star is impersonating the star. Every performance starts with the stars singing Lipsync. Only in the course of the song does the performance change to live vocals. The guessing game is fueled further by this, and, through clips which offer hints about the star’s true identity. After each round, the panel and the studio audience select who best embodied their music idol and thus delivered the perfect illusion – until a winner is chosen in the final.

     

    Big Performance – wer ist der Star im Star? promises astonishing transformations, spectacular music performances and great guessing fun for the whole family.  At the same time, it is a homage to the music legends who will be portrayed in the show and whose biggest hits will be heard again.

     

    The new series was developed in house – all format rights for The Star in the Star is with Banijay. Four episodes will be produced in Cologne in August and broadcast on RTL this autumn.

  5. FameMaker: Stefan Raab and Brainpool develop new music show for ProSieben

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    Brainpool confirms casting is underway for new music show, FameMaker. Produced this summer in collaboration with Stefan Raab for ProSieben, the show promotes “listening with your eyes”.

    In each episode, the judges, known as #FameMakers, must try and determine each contestants’ talent without hearing them sing. Encased in a soundproof dome, each singer will perform on stage and the individuals on the panel must pull their #FameMaker lever if they believe in what they see. Doing so lifts the dome and reveals the singers’ voice. But will the instincts of the #FameMaker be right and will they like what they hear?

    For the finale, the #FameMaker has to produce a performance for their contestant demonstrating the very best their candidate has to offer – no matter their singing ability. After the performances, it is down to the viewer to decide who deserves to win! Will they go for the best singer or will the best entertainer take home the trophy? Stepping up to the judging challenge are German comedy stars Carolin Kebekus, Luke Mockridge and Teddy Teclebrhan, who are themselves immensely musical.

    Stefan Raab:“A good voice does not equal success; success arises in the mind. If this show had existed in 1992, I would have signed up immediately, as I have never been able to sing very well. Don’t miss out, apply now!”

    ProSieben station chief Daniel Rosemann:“In FameMaker, Stefan Raab combines music, comedy and competition. The show promises to be great fun, not least because of our #FameMakers Carolin, Luke and Teddy.”

    You can now apply for FameMaker under www.famemaker.de.

  6. European Song Contest Winner Conchita Wurst and Steven Gätjen Set to Present the Free European Song Contest Live on ProSieben

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    Glamour and gala on the international stage: Conchita Wurst, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, and ProSieben Oscar legend, Steven Gätjen, will present the new Free European Singing Competition from Stefan Raab and ProSieben, live on Saturday, 16 May 2020.

     

    ProSieben CEO Daniel Rosemann:“Conchita and Steven are the perfect choice for a big, musical evening. Conchita thrilled millions of people with his Eurovision Song Contest performance and won the contest. No one is better placed for this European musical idea. Steven is at home at the world’s big galas and the perfect host with outstanding live experience.”

     

    Which musician will sing into the hearts of the audience at the #FreeESC for Italy? Who makes Turkey at one with the whole of Europe through its performance? Which performer enchants the audience for Israel? And who will score for Germany? At the Free European Song Contest, prominent musicians perform their songs live for their country of origin on the biggest international stage of the evening in the Cologne-based studio. In the end, the audience awards points and selects the first winner of the new, free European song competition.

     

    Stefan Raab and ProSieben celebrate a great European music event on television and bring people from all countries together through music.The show is produced by Raab TV, part of Brainpool, a Banijay Group company. Of course, all current legal requirements and those of the health authorities will be met during production.

     

    The Free European Song Contestairs live at 8.15pm on Saturday, May 16, 2020, on ProSieben and Joyn – #FreeESC.

  7. Stefan Raab and Prosieben Announce Live European Singing Competition

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    Brainpool, a Banijay Group company, today announces that following the cancellation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, Stefan Raab and ProSieben will now produce and broadcast a new competition – the Free European Song Contest. Airing live on Saturday 16 May, the show will celebrate passion, fun and a love for music.

    Following the cancellation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, spectators and fans across the land shared their disappointment. With a gaping hole left in the schedules, Stefan Raab decided to organise a special-edition competition, an idea enthusiastically supported by Raab’s home station, ProSieben.  

    Stefan Raab comments: “Music connects people, especially in difficult times. This marks the birth of a new, and free, European song competition. This marks the birth of the Free European Song Contest. Special challenges need special solutions and this evening will see Europe come together in a special and unique way.” 

    Daniel Rosemann, Managing Director at ProSieben said: “Stefan Raab loves music and he loves Europe. We are happy about the great opportunity to live and celebrate Europe in these times with a new music competition and are really looking forward to the Free European Song Contest.” 

    ProSieben will broadcast the Free European Song Contest live from Cologne on Saturday, 16 May at 8:15pm. The show is produced by Brainpool’s Stefan Raab.  

    N.B. All current legal and health and safety requirements will be met during production. 

    Show hashtag: #FreeESC 

  8. Brainpool TV Brings “Luke, Alone at Home” to the German Nation Via Sat.1

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    Exceptional circumstances call for exceptional broadcasts. As Germany social distances and stays indoors, Brainpool TV, a Banijay Group company today announces the launch of new interactive show, Luke, Alone at Home for Sat.1. Airing daily from Monday 23 March 2020, the live show, without an audience, will see a camera rig capture star, Luke Mockridge, as he stays at home with the nation.

    In each episode, the comedian and entertainer gathers the audience at his campfire from 6pm to 7pm. From the sofa and via the screen, Luke makes contact with his audience: What do people do to stop the walls closing in? What are they doing differently while in quarantine? This is a show dedicated to uniting the nation from a small, improvised at-home studio.

    Luke Mockridge comments: “Maybe we can become the German equivalent of the Italian balcony! An injection of happy go-lucky with music, talk, switching around the world and the challenge of not only broadcasting every day, but somehow coming through this difficult time together! I’ll do it as long as you’re with me!”

    SAT.1’s MD, Kaspar Pfl-ger adds: “In these times, live television is particularly important. In the morning, SAT.1 informs its viewers much more intensively with the reduction of breakfast television. And at night, we invite viewers to sit with and next to Luke on the couch, so that the crucial home-being becomes lighter and more enjoyable. Thank you, Luke, for doing this wonderful, anarchic show from your improvised studio with us.”

    Luke, Alone at Home is produced by BRAINPOOL TV in collaboration with Lucky Pics on behalf of SAT.1.

  9. Celebrity School Travels to Spain Via Banijay Group’s Cuarzo

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    Cuarzo today announces À Punt has commissioned Celebrity School, a new entertainment show based on the original format from Brainpool, a fellow Banijay Group company. The 8 x 120’ series will air in a primetime slot from April.

    Pitting a panel of three celebrities against groups of school brainboxes of varying grades, this is a show packed with surprises and unique music, trivia and action challenges. With VTs of childhood classrooms, expect to be projected back in time as Cuarzo presents family entertainment at its very best.

    The famous contestants face three rounds of four games each inspired by a chosen school topic such as Art, Maths or Science. They meet the youngest children first, but that doesn’t make for an easy start. As the quiz progresses, the groups of three kids get older, the questions get trickier and the points get bigger. The final speed round can lead to dramatic changes in fortune and the winners get cash for their current or former schools.

    In Spain, the show will be hosted by Eugeni Alemany, with contestants including singers David Bustamante, Rosa Gisela, Sweet California and retired basketball player, Romay, amongst other well-known Valencian celebrities.

    Juan Ramón Gonzalo at Cuarzo comments: “In challenging times, people often need entertainment and distraction. We were incredibly lucky to be able to produce Celebrity School before Spain was forced to shut down and as such, bring À Punt some new and light fun for its schedule.”

    Celebrity School will be produced by Cuarzo, a Banijay Group company and executive produced by Andrea Olivas. The show is based on Brainpool’s hugely successful format of the same name, which has enjoyed three seasons to date on Sat.1, with a fourth scheduled for 2020.

  10. Demand for Banijay Rights’ Formats Grows in Middle East

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    Banijay Rights, the leading distribution arm of Banijay Group, today announces its’ upbeat game show, Beat Your Host, is being adapted for free to air broadcaster MBC, whilst popular formats, Fort Boyard and Strike, continue to be a big draw for audiences in the territory with new series set to air this year. In addition to these shows, infamous music reality format, Popstars, will travel to Algeria for the first time.

    Banijay Rights’ epic live game show, Beat Your Host, will travel to the Middle East for the first time as MBC commissions Cedars Art Production (Sabbah Brothers), a leading local production company, to produce a regional version of the format, Beat the Star. Locally entitled, Eghleb El Sakka (إغلب السقا) or Beat El Sakka, the contestants are all Arabic celebrities competing to beat the Egyptian action movie megastar, Ahmad El Sakka(إغلب السق). The show will premiere on MBC on 23rd April and will air daily during the holy month of Ramadan 2020.

    Already adapted in more than ten countries, this studio-based entertainment format from Brainpool has been running in Germany on Pro7 for more than ten years. The host makes a cash wager to a contestant on a challenge, whether it’s playing soccer underwater, answering questions or racing around a BMX course. If the challenger wins, they take home the cash, but if they lose, the money jackpots to the following week.

    Following the popularity of the first series, MBC has also commissioned a second series of the hit Banijay Rights’ knockout format, Strike, from Egyptian production house, EPRODUCERS. The family gameshow from H2O Productions uses trivia and ten-pin bowling. Two celebrities help a contestant to try and win a big cash prize by answering multiple-choice questions and bowling, but a single mistake and the contestant may leave the show empty-handed.

    Finally, Wellcom Advertising has secured the rights to Banijay’s famous 60-minute music reality competition, Popstars, in Algeria. The format has been adapted in more than 40 countries; however this is the first time the format has been licensed for an Algerian audience.

    From the first auditions through to the winners’ first outings as a band, Popstars focuses on all the things you don’t see in big, shiny-floor reality shows: the contestants’ personalities and relationships, as well as their intimate emotional journeys, as they cope with being away from home in a shared house and strive to shine out from the crowd in one of the most high-pressure situations they’ve ever experienced. Popstarsfollows the ongoing saga of goals reached and missed, alliances formed and broken and personal limits pushed to the extreme.

    Continuing its global success, legendary adventure gameshow, Fort Boyard, is also set to air another series later this year in Morocco. The format, which celebrated its 30-year anniversary last year, now has more than 1700 episodes to its name in 30 territories, including France, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Russia and the UK. An original format of Adventure Line Productions, this adventure reality series sees contestants face a plethora of physical and mental challenges, pushing them to their limits and beyond.

    Samia Moktar, Sales Manager at Banijay Rights comments, “The appetite for our formats just keeps growing in the Middle East. It’s really exciting to see new commissions for Strike and Popstars and to witness these shows being adapted for local Middle Eastern audiences. Beat Your Host, will undoubtedly be received with as much enthusiasm and we look forward to evolving the shows for the maximum enjoyment of Middle Eastern viewers.”

  11. All Against 1 Returns to ProSieben

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    Brainpool, a Banijay Group company, today announced All Against 1 (Alle gegen Einen) will return to ProSieben for a second series. The commission follows a successful first run, which saw the interactive, studio-based entertainment format pull almost 1.5m viewers and push up the network’s audience share.

     

    All Against 1 pits one hopeful contestant against the nation. In each episode the challenger and viewer answer identical questions via the show’s dedicated app. This game show is for everyone as the questions are not based on knowledge but outlandish stunts and experiments. How long can a free diver hold their breath inside a shark tank? How many children will it take to pull a 16-tonne truck? What’s the top speed reached by a caravan when it falls 50 metres? The answers are literally anyone’s guess…

     

    The money is banked by whoever is closest – the individual playing alone or the collective answer from the nation. However, it all comes down to who is nearest the answer on the final question. If the individual outsmarts the nation, they take home the jackpot, but if the nation wins, one lucky viewer is selected at random and claims the money!

     

    All Against 1 was created by Banijay Nordic’s Nordisk Film TV Denmark and Nordisk Film TV Norway, and remains an ongoing hit on DR1. Adapted across six territories, the format has also enjoyed success in Norway via NRK1, Finland via Nelonen and France via France 2.

  12. Show&Factual expansion: BRAINPOOL recruits Fabian Tobias to the Management

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    Another creative mind for BRAINPOOL TV: Fabian Tobias is joining the Management at Brainpool where, beginning in July, he will be responsible for the Show&Factual segment.

     

    BRAINPOOL Managing Director Marcus Wolter remarked: ‘Fabian Tobias is an outstanding and versatile producer and a real asset to our company. He brings a special strategic knowledge of formats, topics and talents, and I’m delighted that he’s going to be contributing all this to Brainpool in future, thus extending our substantive portfolio. It’s our pleasure to have him on board from this summer, and we look forward to working with him.’

     

    Fabian Tobias, Managing Director Show&Factual: ‘In the German television landscape, Brainpool is a one-of-a-kind entertainment firm. It represents not only successful partnerships with great artists, but also entertainment formats at the highest level of quality. Like no other production company, Brainpool manages to delight audiences over and over again with award-winning programming. I’m very much looking forward to working with Marcus, the entire team and the artists of this special traditional company. My motivation is to extend the already-powerful portfolio by adding new, outstanding fun stuff – for the German market and beyond.’

     

    The move marks a restructuring of Brainpool’s Non-Fiction area, which will consist of three pillars in future: Comedy&Light Entertainment and Lucky Pics (a joint venture with Luke Mockridge) under the leadership of Godehard Wolpers; Raab TV with all the ideas and projects by producer Stefan Raab; and the new Show&Factual area.

     

    Until February 2019, Fabian Tobias was in charge of the ‘Show & Factual’ department at TV production firm Endemol Shine. In that capacity, the TV producer, who grew up in Solingen, was responsible, among other things, for successful formats such as the RTL shows ‘Wer wird Millionär?’, ‘Zahltag – ein Koffer voller Chancen’, ‘Lego-Master’ and ‘The Wall’; for VOX hits ‘Hot oder Schrott’, ‘6 Mütter’ and ‘Hubert & Matthias – die Hochzeit’; and for the Sky cooking competition ‘MasterChef’ and the NETFLIX show ‘Comedians of the world’. With a diploma in media economics, he began his television career back in 2001 and produced successful formats for a variety of production firms and stations, among them ‘Klein gegen Groß’ (ARD), ‘Zeig mir deine Welt’ (ARD, Bayerischer Fernsehpreis [Bavarian Television Award] for host Kai Pflaume), ‘Hell’s kitchen’ (Sat.1), ‘Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus’ (RTL), ‘Kaum zu glauben’ (NDR) and ‘Das Superhirn’ (ZDF).