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Content powerhouse Banijay Entertainment today announces the expansion of its next-gen superbrand, The Summit, into three new European markets. The Netherlands, Finland and Norway are the latest territories to board the breakout hit, with EndemolShine Nederland, Banijay Finland and Mastiff Norway producing for RTL, MTV and TV 2, respectively.
With these new commissions, The Summit is fast-becoming Banijay Entertainment’s next adventure reality blockbuster, now active in six markets, just over a year since it first premiered in Australia. Originally created by Endemol Shine Australia and 9Network, the hit format has run successfully locally for two seasons so far. Making its high-profile US debut (Endemol Shine North America) on CBS last week, there are more major international deals in the works for the format.
In TheSummit, contestants embark on a high-stakes expedition through rugged terrain and stunning landscapes. Each competitor carries a life-changing cash prize in their backpack; to reach the summit, they must overcome a series of physical and moral tests, balancing trust and strategy to stay in the game, while working together to succeed and claim their reward.
Lucas Green, Chief Content Officer, Operations, Banijay, says: “The Summit is quickly emerging as our next generation superbrand, with six versions commissioned in just over a year. The breadth of buyers taking on the format highlights its scalibility, offering viewers a prime-time co-viewing experience. With its spectacular mountain backdrop, thrilling twists, emotional tension, and strategic alliances, the show delivers unmissable adventure for audiences around the globe.”
The Summit is among Banijay Entertainment’s format highlights at MIPCOM 2024, sitting alongside Three Are The Champions, By Land, Air and Sea, Dream Home, Origin Odyssey, Headliners, The Never Ever Mets, Deal or No Deal Island, Dessert Masters and The Fortune Hotel. The company’s expansive portfolio includes hit travellers like Good Luck Guys, Love Triangle and The Fifty; superbrands MasterChef, Big Brother and Survivor. Highly-anticipated Netflix launches include Bear Hunt and Building a Band(w/t). Banijay Entertainment adapts LOL: Last One Laughing for Prime Video in eleven markets and Love is Blind for Netflix in three countries.
Comments Off on Banijay Entertainment Showcases Must-See Slate for MIPCOM 2024
Content powerhouse, Banijay Entertainment, today announces this year’s standout titles across all genres for MIPCOM 2024, bolstering its position as the number one European studio.
Leading the charge is the re-imagining of iconic detective drama Bergerac; original new competition format, Three Are The Champions; Dutch reboot By Land, Air and Sea; and high-end travelogue series, Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain. Additionally, the powerhouse will celebrate its latest travelling formats launched last MIPCOM, including The Summit and Deal or No Deal Island.
This year’s premium UK scripted offering includes the revival of Bergerac for UKTV’s U&DRAMA and free streaming service, U; the much-awaited Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light for the BBC and Masterpiece PBS; Welsh crime drama The One that Got Away for S4C; We Go Again (w/t), a comedy drama for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer; and The Feud, a domestic thriller for Channel 5. From New Zealand is new returnable crime procedural A Remarkable Place to Die for TVNZ, ZDF, and Acorn TV, and crossing over to Europe, is Italy’s pop band drama Accidentally Famous for Sky Italia; Dutch thriller Elixir for NPO and New8, and French crime drama The Family Detective for TF1. Anticipated returners Marie Antoinette for Canal+, PBS, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer and SASRogue Heroes for BBC iPlayer and MGM+ will also be highlighted.
New formats making their international debut include the Dutch reboot of iconic entertainment programme By Land, Air and Sea, and Germany’s ratings success Three Are The Champions for RTL. Australia brings competitive renovation show Dream Home, insightful comedy travelogue Origin Odyssey, and music themed social experiment Headliners; the US launches new dating series The Never Ever Mets, and from the UK is strategic reality format, The Fortune Hotel. Building the next generation of superbrands, Banijay Entertainment will also highlight its successful travelling formats, including blockbuster adventure reality series The Summit; latest MasterChef iteration, Dessert Masters; and spin-off Deal or No Deal Island.
On the factual front, CNN Original travelogue series Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain will headline, alongside feature-length documentary, Atomic People for the BBC, as well as docu-series 7/7: Three Weeks in July for the BBC and BBC iPlayer. In addition, two feature-length premium documentaries from Scenery, a joint venture with Banijay Benelux, are available to buyers in Cannes: Front Row and LARA: The Man Who Tried to Save Colombia.
Cathy Payne, CEO Banijay Rights, says: “Our dynamic line-up for this year’s MIPCOM truly highlights the continued growth and global appeal of our catalogue. From riveting dramas such as Bergerac and Wolf Hall, to high-end factual series like Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain, we are eager to present a diverse and competitive slate that celebrates the power of storymaking and the outstanding talent behind our IP.”
James Townley, Chief Content Officer, Development and Lucas Green, Chief Content Officer, Operations at Banijay, add: “Our offering of distinctive and fresh formats coming from the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, UK, and the US, underscores our commitment to creating popular IP like Three Are The Champions, and evolving classic favourites like By Land, Air and Sea. The success of our new travelling hits, The Summitand Deal or No Deal Island, speaks to the creativity of our talented teams across the footprint, and illustrates our expertise in building the next generation of superbrands.”
The UK continues to offer strong premium scripted content, including the modern re-imagining of Bergerac, based on the original series created by Robert Banks Stewart and starring Damien Molony (The Split, Brassic),produced by Blacklight TV, a Banijay UK company. Blacklight TV also brings The One That Got Away, a thriller about a nurse’s murder that questions a historic conviction. Additionally, The Forge, recently acquired by Banijay UK, presents We Go Again (w/t), a new comedy drama from Janice Okoh about three stubbornly optimistic siblings with a dark secret.
Launching this year, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, a Playground Entertainment and Company Pictures co-production, continues the Tudor saga of Thomas Cromwell’s complex journey. Additionally, The Feud, a Lonesome Pine Productions title in association with Banijay Rights and Northeast Screen, uncovers dark secrets through a family’s contentious home renovation, leading to a spiral of paranoia and fear.
Screentime New Zealand’s A Remarkable Place to Die, features a detective facing a series of intriguing local homicides, and from Groenlandia, a Banijay Italia company, and Sky Studios, comes Accidentally Famous, depicting the rise of Italian pop band 883. Elixir, a thriller from Banijay Benelux label Topkapi Films, along with NTR and BNNVARRA, revolves around a pharmaceutical scandal, while The Family Detective, from Banijay France’s Shine Fiction, brings a new crime drama about a family immersed in solving police cases. Finally, the group celebrates eagerly awaited second seasons of Marie Antoinette, The CANAL+ Creation Originale, produced by Capa Drama, Banijay Studios France and Beside Production; and SAS Rogue Heroes produced by Kudos (a Banijay UK company) and created, written and executive produced by Steven Knight.
Banijay Entertainment will showcase an array of formats available for adaptation globally. Three Are The Champions from EndemolShine Germany and Potatohead Pictures (part of Banijay Germany), has a second season greenlit, and spotlights three celebrities as they compete in challenges against top champions. Adrenaline-fuelled reboot By Land, Air and Sea from EndemolShine Nederland (part of Banijay Benelux) features contestants navigating creative obstacle courses using custom-built vehicles. Dream Home from Endemol Shine Australia for Channel 7 sees six teams face-off in an epic renovation showdown, while Origin Odyssey for SBS explores cultural roots in a new comedy travelogue, and Headliners for SBS, is a celebration of music and inclusion. Elsewhere, the US brings The Never Ever Mets from Bunim/Murray Productions (part of Banijay Americas), a returning series for OWN, where online dating comes to life. And from Tuesday’s Child, the producer behind hit competition reality series, LEGO Masters, is strategy gameshow The Fortune Hotel for ITV.
Banijay Entertainment’s travelling formats will be celebrated with the 9Network and Endemol Shine Australia original series, The Summit, which has travelled to three territories, including the US, with more to be announced; spin-off Deal Or No Deal Island by Endemol Shine North America, which has been renewed for by NBC; and Endemol Shine Australia’s MasterChef spinoff, Dessert Masters, which has recently launched in Brazil, showcasing top pastry chefs competing in high-stakes challenges.
Crossing over to factual with Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain from Hyphenate Media Group, takes viewers on a delectable culinary journey in Spain. Minnow Films’ Atomic People explores the human fallout from atomic bombs, while Slate Work’s 7/7: Three Weeks in July, explores the 2005 UK terrorist attacks in a compelling docu-series. Meanwhile, Front Row, from Scenery and Pretty Matches and Executive Produced by award-winning actor and producer Sarah Jessica Parker, highlights the resilience of Ukrainian ballet dancers during wartime where an unlikely friendship forms between a dancer and a front-line soldier, while LARA: The Man Who Tried to Save Colombia recounts the extraordinary reconciliation story behind Pablo Escobar’s most famous assassination.
These MIPCOM highlights complement Banijay Entertainment’s globally renowned catalogue, which includes superbrands like Big Brother and Peaky Blinders, new travelling hits such as The Fifty and Good Luck Guys,and its highly-anticipated streamer launches Bear Hunt, co-produced by Banijay UK’s Workerbee, The Natural Studios and Talkback for Netflix; Last One Laughing UK from Zeppotron and Initial for Prime Video, created byHitoshi Matsumotoand produced by Banijay Entertainment labels in 11 markets; Culte from Banijay France’s label Screenline Productions and 27 Tribe for Prime Video; Billionaire Island from Banijay Nordics’ label Rubicon;and the second series of The Rig, from Banijay UK’s Wild Mercury for Prime Video. The company will exhibit at C.20 at MIPCOM 2024.
Media and entertainment powerhouse, Banijay, today announces Jarowskij will adapt hit reality competition format The Summit for TV4. This marks the first announced European deal, and the third territory to produce the adventure series. With the title now gaining pace globally, it is set to be showcased at Banijay’s exclusive, invite-only London TV Screenings event, Banijay @ BAFTA on Wednesday 28 February.
The 9Network and Endemol Shine Australia original series, produced by Endemol Shine Australia, had a hugely successful launch in 2023, doubling its viewership on replay for Nine Network, and a second season was greenlit. Earlier this year, Endemol Shine North America announced the first international adaptation for CBS.
The returning adrenaline-fueled series follows a group of contestants as they embark on an epic journey through treacherous mountains. Carrying backpacks containing an equal share of the final cash prize, contestants have 14 days to reach “The Summit” of a distant mountain to claim their reward. In a thrilling tale of endurance, survival and greed, morals will be tested, physical limits pushed, and bonds broken.
Johannes Jensen, interim CEO Jarowskij comments: “The Summit is a great addition to our slate, with its gripping blend of adventure, high-stake competition, suspense, and proven success in Australia. We are confident this adaptation will resonate strongly with audiences in Sweden, offering a thrilling and entertaining viewing experience.”
Peter Newman, CEO at Endemol Shine Australia says: “With a second season in the works, The Summit continues to travel seamlessly across borders, and is a testament to the format’s universality, adaptability and scalability. It’s been our ambition to create original formats that travel globally, and we are proud to see this IP launch in the US, and now Sweden, with more to come.”
The Summit will join Jarowskij’s impressive catalogue of scripted and non-scripted titles including recent hit drama, A Nearly Normal Family for Netflix, Solsidan, SAS Who Dares Win and Wild Kids.
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Media and entertainment powerhouse, Banijay, today announces a compelling offering for its dedicated London TV Screenings event – Banijay @ BAFTA.
Hitting the 2024 line-up is the highly-anticipated high-end scripted series Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light; and premium documentary Front Row. Elsewhere, the powerhouse will also be celebrating travelling formats with adventure reality, The Summit; and spin-off, Deal or No Deal Island. Packed with distinct, high-quality programming across all genres, the group’s event will span three sessions on Wednesday 28 February.
On the scripted front, Banijay’s premium offering includes UK dramas Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light for the BBC and Masterpiece PBS, based on the final novel of Hilary Mantel’s multi award-winning trilogy; The Hardacres for Channel 5; Steven Knight’s This Town for the BBC; Welsh drama The One That Got Away (Cleddau) for S4C; and Invisible Boys for Stan. Buyers can also expect a preview of eagerly-awaited second seasons of Marie Antoinette for Canal+ and the BBC, and Rogue Heroes for the BBC and MGM+.
Supercharging its documentary offering, Front Row takes centre stage with Anatomy of a Murder and Four Kings for Prime Video.
To complement the scripted and documentary offering, Banijay will showcase a blend of fresh and highly-entertaining formats including adrenaline-fuelled travelling success The Summit for Nine Network; new spin-off, Deal or No Deal Island created for NBC; adventure reality format and ratings winner Shaolin Heroes for TV2; recent Channel 4 factual reality VOD hit Banged Up; innovative game show Upside Down for RTL4 and TheFortune Hotel for ITV1 and ITVX. A light will also be shone on global superbrands and prized returning formats like Survivor, Big Brother, Star Academy, and reality formats Love Triangle and The Fifty.
Cathy Payne, CEO at Banijay Rights says: “This year’s line-up for Banijay @ BAFTA truly illuminates the breadth of our catalogue and ability to showcase outstanding content across multiple genres. From high-end dramas to acclaimed factual series, we look forward to coming together later this month to celebrate great talent, captivating storytelling and stand-out IP. We really do have something for everyone…”
James Townley, Chief Content Officer, Development and Lucas Green, Chief Content Officer, Operations at Banijay comment: “The London TV Screenings provides an incredible opportunity for Banijay to demonstrate its commitment to delivering exciting emerging IP as well as tried and tested formats and reboots, which continue to compel audiences globally. From Shaolin Heroes to The Summit, and iconic format Deal or No Deal, we are sure to enthral buyers seeking fresh, innovative, and proven formats.”
For its scripted slate, Banijay Rights is highlighting Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, a Playground and Company Pictures co-production directed by Peter Kosminsky, and adapted for television by Peter Straughan, which follows Thomas Cromwell as he navigates the moral complexities of the Tudor court following the execution of Anne Boleyn. Another period drama from Playground in association with Screen Ireland, Red Berry Productions and Newgrange Pictures is new returnable six-part series –The Hardacres- based on CL Skelton’s novel series, The Hardacre Saga.
Meanwhile, from Kudos and Nebulastar, and co-produced with Mercury Studios, in association with Kudos North, Stigma Films, and Nick Angel for the BBC, the much-anticipated This Town tells the story of an extended family and four young people who are drawn into the world of the ska movement and two-tone music.
BlackLight Television (a Banijay UK company), in collaboration with Banijay Rights and Creative Wales for S4C, are delving into Welsh drama with The One That Got Away (Cleddau), which combines a gripping murder mystery with an electrifying love story.
Crossing over to Australia, Invisible Boys from Feisty Dame Productions, Screenwest and Lotterywest, WA Regional Film Fund, Screen Australia, and Banijay Rights for Stan Originals, is a powerful drama created for television by director Nicholas Verso on the challenges faced by a group of gay teens in the remote coastal town of Geraldton.
In factual, the feature-length premium documentary from Scenery and Pretty Matches, Front Row, Executive Produced by award-winning actor and producer Sarah Jessica Parker, and directed by Miriam Guttmann (Sundance Film Festival selection Seeds of Deceit), highlights the resilience of Ukrainian ballet dancers during wartime, where an unlikely friendship forms between a dancer and a front-line soldier.
From Workerbee comes two gripping documentaries, Anatomy of a Murder, a feature length true-crime story centring around the daughter of an Iranian family, who has spent over thirty years and millions of her fortune to try and find her mother’s killer; and Four Kings for Prime Video, exploring the history of British boxing through four men coming from the same London neighbourhood who heralded a golden era and changed the way Britain viewed its black athletes.
Meanwhile, on the reality competition front, The Summit, a 9Network and Endemol Shine Australia original series, produced by Endemol Shine Australia, continues to climb through the ranks with a second season in the works, and a first international adaptation for CBS by Endemol Shine North America with more to come soon.
From Endemol Shine North America, Deal or No Deal Island completely reimagines the iconic game show as an epic adventure. This new spin-off series for NBC is set on the Banker’s private island as he searches for his ultimate opponent in a high stakes competition with over $200,000,000 up for grabs.
From Metronome is Shaolin Heroes for TV2 Denmark, where celebrities undertake the ultimate test by embarking on a transformational journey alongside world-class Shaolin Masters.
Joining Banijay’s factual offering is Banged Up, created by Shine TV for Channel 4. In this fact-ent format social experiment, which veers into the documentary space, six male celebrity inmates are incarcerated in a UK prison environment alongside their reformed criminal cellmates. The series explores the question, ‘does prison work’?
From EndemolShine Nederland, Upside Down sees two celebrity teams undertake all kinds of topsy turvy challenges and Q&A games unlike anything they have seen before, because everything in this innovative format, is upside down.
Highly-anticipated reality series TheFortune Hotel from Tuesday’s Child for ITV1 and ITVX invites viewers into a luxury Caribbean resort filled with glamour, opulence and deception. Contestants are paired up and compete to win a briefcase, one holding the ultimate cash prize and another an Early Checkout Card.
Comments Off on CBS Announces Series Order for The Summit, a New Action-Adventure Reality Competition Show
CBS announced today the new series order for The Summit, an action-adventure reality competition based on the hit Australian series, hosted by actor and New Zealander Manu Bennett.
“The Summit encompasses everything our viewers love in a reality show – everyday people overcoming and conquering their fears, a fierce game of strategy and an intense physical and emotional competition,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “Set against a breathtaking mountain backdrop, this is a high-stakes, adrenaline-filled game with thrilling twists and turns that make for riveting and inspiring television.”
“We are so excited to embark on this exhilarating adventure with our partners at CBS on a proven format that has captivated audiences internationally,” said Sharon Levy, CEO of Endemol Shine North America. “We can’t wait for viewers to come along on this epic quest with an incredible group of contestants as they learn how far they’re willing to go and what they’re willing to do to reach The Summit.”
“I’m an avid mountain climber, but the reason I’m passionate about this series has little to do with climbing,” said Kevin Lee, executive producer of The Summit. “It’s the human drama and emotion that arise when ordinary people are pushed to their limits by intense game play that makes this series so compelling.”
Sixteen strangers will embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey through the treacherous New Zealand Alps in an attempt to reach the peak of a distant, towering mountain. With their backpacks containing an equal share of $1 million, the group must traverse an exhausting distance in just 14 days in order to win the cash they are carrying. But not everyone will make it, as these strangers must work together to tackle the dangerous terrain, unforgiving Antarctic winds, heart-pounding challenges and gut-wrenching eliminations on their way to the peak. Tracking them along this journey is the “Mountain’s Keeper” who will surprise the trekkers with brutal twists and force decisions that complicate an already grueling ascent. Morals and relationships will be tested when they must decide what to do if someone falls behind, because if the group fails to reach The Summit in time, all the prize money will be lost.
Additional details including cast and the airdate will be announced in the future.
The Summit is produced by Endemol Shine North America. Kevin Lee, Tina Nicotera and Endemol Shine North America’s Sharon Levy and DJ Nurre are executive producers. The series is based on a format by Endemol Shine Australia and Nine.
Comments Off on Banijay Spotlights Adventure, Reality Competition and Factual in its Autumn Line-Up
Media and entertainment powerhouse Banijay today reveals its autumn slate of non-scripted formats set to be showcased at MIPCOM 2023. With an unprecedented line-up of six premium multi-genre titles, the content champion is set to enter the market with bang, as it unveils its upcoming hits to the world’s linear and streaming clients…
Banijay’s Creative Networks is highlighting original blockbuster adventure reality series, The Summit, Rush and Shaolin Heroes, as well as reality competition formats Deal or No Deal Island and Buddy Games. In addition, the company is strengthening its factual reality offering in BANGED UP (w/t).
James Townley, Chief Content Officer, Development at Banijay comments: “Last year alone, Banijay delivered 145 new format launches, and in 2023, our incredible creatives continue to raise the bar with new, high-quality, original ideas that are already capturing audiences around the globe. From The Summit to Buddy Games, we see fantastic potential in this slate as it truly captures audience desire for attention-grabbing, entertaining shows packed with adventure, that are unique and scalable. We look forward to finally showcasing these innovative titles to our clients worldwide at MIPCOM, leveraging the strength of our brilliant teams whilst on-the-ground in Cannes.”
This year’s autumn slate offers exhilarating adventure reality series including two new formats from EndemolShine Australia with 9Network; The Summit and Rush. Set in New Zealand’s southern Alps, The Summit sees a group of strangers carrying an equal share of money, but to win the cash, they must reach the peak of a distant mountain in just two weeks. All that stands in the way, are a series of adrenaline-charged challenges and the unpredictable elements of human nature. Elsewhere, Rush is the new travel adventure series where twelve everyday people are dropped into the heart of some of the most pulsating cultural festivals, huge events, and exotic locations. They are without all their senses, and knowledge of their location, and must work together to complete the missions set by the host and reach the “Escape Zone”. The last team to get there is forced to eliminate one member of their team until only one person emerges to scoop a life-changing prize.
From Metronome is Shaolin Heroes for TV 2 Denmark, where celebrities undertake the ultimate test by embarking on a transformational journey alongside world-class Shaolin Masters. By surrendering to the ancient and uninterrupted traditions of the legendary Shaolin Warrior Monks, the celebrities will find unexplored facets of themselves they never knew existed.
Meanwhile, on the reality competition front, the iconic format Deal or No Deal is back, but like you have never seen it before… In a new spin-off created by Endemol Shine North America for NBC, Deal or No Deal Islandsees cases hidden all over an island with millions of dollars split between them, which contestants compete to retrieve, so they can play a game of Deal or No Deal against the Banker. The banker’s challenges are pulse pounding and mind-bending designed to test every facet of the contestants, as they try to secure the most valuable cases to play Deal or No Deal. Mystery and millions await in this new format that transforms the iconic game show into an innovative social experiment.
Airing on CBS is Buddy Games, which adapts the comedy directed by, and starring, Josh Duhamel, into areality competition format. Produced by Bunim/Murray Productions, “ride or die” friends get the chance to relive their glory days and compete in an assortment of absurd physical and mental challenges in the outdoors while bunking together in the same lake house. To celebrate the launch of this brand-new title to the world, Josh himself is making his way to the French Riviera to join executive producer and President, Bunim/Murray Productions, Julie Pizzi down at MIPCOM.
Showcasing the diversity of Baniijay’s slate is BANGED UP (w/t), created by Shine TV for Channel 4. In this fact-ent format, which veers into the documentary space, six male celebrity inmates will be incarcerated in a UK prison environment alongside their criminal cellmates. There they will interrogate the criminals on their prison experiences and crimes – all while experiencing the impact of the prison system themselves – for better or worse.
Banijay will be holding exclusive invite-only masterclass sessions during MIPCOM, where they will lift the lid on the all the details of these next generation entertainment formats. The new offerings join renowned long-running superbrands like Big Brother, Survivor, and Deal or No Deal, which are all returning to the UK later this year, as well as travelling returners, Star Academy, Save the Date, Love Triangle, The Fifty, Popstars, andThe Block.
News regarding Banijay’s scripted and documentary slates for MIPCOM to follow…