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: Jane Rimer

  1. The Write Offs Books French-Canadian Deal

    Comments Off on The Write Offs Books French-Canadian Deal

    Banijay Rights, the global distribution arm of media and entertainment powerhouse Banijay, today announces the fifth adaptation of factual entertainment format The Write Offs, with a new version set for French-Canada.

    French-Canadian broadcaster Télé-Québec will launch a new 4 x 30’ adaptation entitled L’Épreuve des Mots in primetime this month, with Montreal-based Sphere Media Productions on board as local producer.

    Originally created by Shine TV for Channel 4 in the UK, The Write Offs helps a diverse group of adults, who can’t read or write, to master basic literacy skills necessary for everyday situations. Each embarks on an eye-opening journey as they face tasks that encourage them to go truly outside of their comfort zones. The series concludes with a heart-warming and dramatic performance for their loved ones.

    The French-Canadian version will be hosted by Patricia Paquin whose own 13 year-old suffers from learning disorders; and features a cast of five contributors who all have primary school literacy and must complete a 16 week course. Following the Channel 4 version, The Write Offs has since been adapted in Australia, with two seasons on SBS, as well as in Denmark on DR and Germany on ZDF.

    Jane Rimer, SVP, Canada, Banijay Rights, who negotiated the agreement, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Télé-Québec and Sphere Media Productions to bring this important – and heart-warming – format to Quebec viewers. The Write Offs shines a light on a very serious global issue and demonstrates how television can be used as a force for good to literally change lives.”

    Nadine Dufour, Vice President of Content, Télé-Québec, said: “As a public television broadcaster, Télé-Québec’s mandate is to reflect the reality and challenges of Quebec through its programming. With 10% of the population considered functionally illiterate, we are proud to finally give a voice to those whom we see very little of in our Quebec media landscape.”

    Renaud Chassé, EVP, Unscripted & Documentaries, French content, Sphere Media Productions, added: “The adaptation of The Write Offs in Quebec has enabled us to understand that illiteracy is a challenge present in most countries. Since we announced this project, this issue has gained prominence in the media.”

  2. Noovo, Banijay Rights Strike Deal to Launch Survivor in French-Speaking Canada

    Comments Off on Noovo, Banijay Rights Strike Deal to Launch Survivor in French-Speaking Canada

    Noovo today announces it has acquired the rights to adapt the world-famous Banijay reality competition Survivor for French Canada.

    Produced in 48 territories since its launch in 1997, the show is one of the biggest television phenomena of the past 25 years. This year is the format’s most successful to-date with 24 productions confirmed.

     The Noovo deal was negotiated by Jane Rimer, SVP of Canada, at Banijay Rights. ”Survivor has been a global success story for the last three decades and we are proud to be working with Bell Media to bring this tour-de-force format to French Canadian viewers for the first time,” said Rimer.

    “Noovo remains committed to providing audiences with high-quality content, large-scale deployment where Quebecers can identify themselves and take part at the event” said Suzane Landry, Vice-President, Content Development, Programming and News, Bell Media. “With the acquisition of Survivor, we’re once again reaffirming our commitment and enhancing our already rich entertainment line-up.”

     Survivor features participants trying to survive in remote nature settings. They must get their own food, start a fire for comfort and build safe shelters. All while competing in endurance, skill and mental challenges or solve riddles. Every week one survivor will be voted off until a winner is crowned by exiled contestants.

    Bell Media is working with ToRoS productions on a local version of this successful TV show in order to create a programme that resonates with Quebec viewers. Banijay distributed the format globally.

    Noovo has had a streak of successful reality TV shows over the years placing it far above its competitors. From “Occupation Double,” to “Big Brother Célébrités” and “L’amour est dans le pré,” the channel has skillfully exploited its niche. “Big Brother Célébrités,” which aired last winter, was the #1 reality TV series in its market in Q2. “Occupation Double dans l’Ouest” generated an all-time high of over 20 million views on Noovo.ca and was a huge on-air success with a 29% market share among adults 25-54 years olds every week.

    More details will be shared soon.

  3. Banijay Rights Lands First Germinal Deal

    Comments Off on Banijay Rights Lands First Germinal Deal

    Banijay Rights today announces French-Canadian network Radio-Canada has acquired Germinal, the new six-part drama based on Émile Zola’s classic 19th century novel.

     

    Coproduced by Banijay Studios France and Pictanovo with the support of La Région Hauts-de-France for France Télévisions, in collaboration with Rai Fiction and Salto, the deal marks the first international sale for the sweeping historical series, which has been struck ahead of its launch this autumn. The agreement with Radio-Canada was negotiated by Jane Rimer, SVP Canada, Banijay Rights.

     

    Germinal is the story of a miners’ strike during the Second Empire in a community in northern France. At barely 20 years of age, Etienne Lantier flees Lille after assaulting a superior and finds refuge in the coal mining town of Montsou, where he befriends veteran miner Maheu, who secures him a job pushing carts down the pit and offers him a place to stay.

     

    Etienne discovers the harsh working conditions of miners and the daily humiliations endured by the workers – however, deciding to stay, partly for the beautiful Catherine, Maheu’s daughter, he is soon adopted by the community. But one day when he and his comrades are fined for deficient woodwork, tempers flare and Etienne plans a revolt and begins to dream of a social revolution. Trained by Souvarine, an anarchist mechanic, and Rasseneur, the owner of a local bistro, Etienne does not realise what enthusiasm and chaos his ideas will raise.

     

    Jane Rimer, SVP Canada, Banijay Rights, said: “Germinal is a powerful literary masterpiece from Émile Zola and one of the seminal works of French literature. This breath-taking adaptation is storytelling at its finest and we are thrilled to be partnering with Radio-Canada on its Canadian launch.”

     

    Dany Meloul, General Manager of Radio-Canada Television, added: “Radio-Canada has a proud tradition of offering some of the most prestigious international drama productions to its viewers. Germinal will undoubtedly generate a lot of interest as its cast include two young talented actors from Quebec, Rose-Marie Perreault and Aliocha Schneider.’’

     

    Germinal was produced with the support of Procirep-Société des Producteurs and Angoa, with the participation of the CNC.

    Earlier this month, the series won the audience award at Series Mania 2021, following its premiere at the Lille-based event.

  4. Big Brother Célébrités to Return for a Second Season on Noovo

    Comments Off on Big Brother Célébrités to Return for a Second Season on Noovo

    Following the tremendous success of its first year, Big Brother Célébrités will return to Noovo for a second season this winter. Marie-Mai will also be back to host the dramatic elimination episodes. Expect the unexpected once again!

    “We’re extremely proud of the audience response to Big Brother Célébrités! The new addition to Noovo’s programming became the most-watched show on the channel last year,” explains Mélanie Bherer, General Manager, Variety, Lifestyle and Documentary, for Bell Media. “It definitely made a splash during its first season, and we’re confident that viewers will be eagerly looking forward to the return of this TV phenomenon.”

    The houseguests in the reality show’s first edition crowned comedian Jean-Thomas Jobin as the winner. Demonstrating excellent strategic skills, he made it all the way to the end playing an almost perfect game. The public, meanwhile, fell in love with Richardson Zéphir and awarded him the Favourite Houseguest award.

    While living under one roof, the players must win various challenges in order to reach the final. Their psychological, physical and social abilities are put to the test as they seek to gain and accumulate special privileges and avoid eviction from the house. At the end, a handful of competitors are named as finalists, but only one can earn the coveted title of Big Brother Célébrités winner, following a vote by the evicted houseguests.

    The Big Brother format and finished programs are represented internationally by Banijay, with over 60 adaptations and broadcast in more than 80 countries with over 470 seasons and nearly 30,000 episodes.

    The Quebec version is produced by Entourage Télévision in collaboration with Bell Media. The deal was agreed by Banijay Rights.

    Jane Rimer, SVP Canada, Banijay Rights, adds: “Reaching an agreement for a second season of Big Brother Célébrités is an absolute thrill.  We’re in no doubt that the show’s second outing will resonate with audiences across French Canada even stronger than the first.”

    Which celebrities will be entering the enormous Big Brother Célébrités house in January? You’ll have to wait a few more months to find out!

  5. Big Brother Canada to Return for Milestone 10th Season

    Comments Off on Big Brother Canada to Return for Milestone 10th Season

    Banijay Rights today announces a landmark tenth season of Big Brother Canada for Corus Entertainment’s Global Channel in Canada.

     

    The greenlight for a new local adaptation comes after an epic Season 9 that delivered its most diverse cast ever, with Tychon Carter-Newman making history as the first Black winner of Big Brother Canada.

     

    Produced by Insight Productions (a Boat Rocker company) in association with Corus Entertainment and Banijay, Big Brother Canada Season 10 will debut on Global in Spring 2022. The deal was agreed by Banijay Rights.

     

    Jane Rimer, SVP Canada, Banijay Rights, comments: “We are delighted to have struck this historic deal for a tenth season of Big Brother Canada and are thrilled to continue our longstanding partnership with Corus on this brand. This is a landmark moment for an incredibly successful format, which continues to have an enduring appeal for audiences worldwide.”

     

    The Big Brother format and finished programs are represented internationally by Banijay, with over 60 adaptations and broadcast in more than 80 countries.

     

    Big Brother Canada hand-picks a group of strangers from all walks of life, sequesters them from the outside world, and places them inside a house outfitted wall-to-wall with cameras and microphones that capture their every move. Competing for a grand cash prize, each week the houseguests battle in a series of challenges that give them power or punishment, voting each other out until the fate of the final two are decided by a jury of fellow houseguests.

  6. Banijay Rights New Sales Structure in LATAM, Canada and German-Speaking Territories

    Comments Off on Banijay Rights New Sales Structure in LATAM, Canada and German-Speaking Territories

    Global distributor Banijay Rights, today announces its new sales structure in LATAM, Canada and German-speaking territories under the overarching leadership of CEO, Cathy Payne.

     

    In Latin America, Michelle Wasserman will be leading the charge in selling both finished tape and formats across the continent as SVP Latam, Brazil and US Hispanic. Long integral to the company’s formats business, she has orchestrated format sales for MasterChef into 13 countriesand 14 of My Name Is across the region, alongside managing over 40 format productions per year. Her remit will now expand to finish tape sales.

     

    Joining her in the Miami office is new hire, Ivania Zamora, who takes up the role of VP, Latam.

     

    Having handled the Latam and US Hispanic finished tape sales for the past ten years, Veronique Verges is joining the EMEA team as SVP German-speaking territories, Poland & Hungary. Now based in London, she will report to Tim Mutimer EVP, EMEA. Before transitioning out of her role in Latin America last month, Verges closed several high-value package deals with the likes of, Amazon, Turner and Discovery, surpassing 1600 hours.

     

    Elsewhere, Jane Rimer is officially announced as SVP, Canada. Since joining late last year, she has already completed significant deals including sealing the first iteration of Celebrity Big Brother in French Canada.

     

    Both Jane and Michelle, will report directly into Matt Creasey EVP Sales, Acquisitions and Coproductions – World (excluding EMEA).

     

    With a catalogue of 95,000 hours of multi-genre content, the Banijay Rights team has a wealth of top-quality programming available for audiences around the world. New series highlights for 2021 include crime drama Viewpoint, and gripping new action-drama RFDS: Royal Flying Doctors Service. Singing entrainment formats Fame Maker and A Star in the Star and popular factual returning hits Temptation Island, Lego Masters, and Wipeout.