“Being a TV manufacturing firm is the idea of Banijay Germany, however we’re an leisure enterprise and creators are a part of leisure now, that’s a truth,” says Marcus Wolter.
The Banijay Germany founder and CEO is describing to Deadline he and his workforce have developed their operation from a conventional TV participant behind native hits comparable to Schlag de Star (Beat the Star), Kitchen Unattainable and Huge Brother Germany into an operation that spans a expertise company, manufacturing studios, reside occasions and an influencer biz.
Every thing, he continues, is centered round “model constructing and creativity,” with the target to maintain – and mix – the normal TV manufacturing enterprise with work within the rising German creator economic system. The preliminary thought for the mannequin got here out of the expertise enterprise Banijay Germany had established, when it grew to become clear there have been a variety of creators who have been breaking out and will go even additional along with his backing.
One, SelfieSandra, was signed to Banijay Germany’s Solely Good Individuals. Having constructed a big on-line following in Germany, she used her platform whereas performing as a contestant on RTL actuality present Let’s Dance and can subsequent host actuality collection Make Love, Pretend Love, which can even be for RTL.
One other is Knossi, a presenter, poker commentator and reside streamer who has turn into one in every of Germany’s largest stats. The self-proclaimed ‘König des Internets’ (King of the Web) has labored with Banijay Germany on Endemol Shine Germany’s Huge Brother Knossi Version, Banijay Productions Germany’s Mission Unknown: Atlantic and Three Are the Champions, the leisure format Banijay Leisure launched globally final MIPCOM.
“We started to work and be taught from them, however it was not simply [combining] a TV present and creator, however way more than that, as these are completely different worlds and completely different audiences,” says Wolter. “We needed to go deeper into this enterprise to be success.”
Unorthodox strategy from orthodox background
The attention-grabbing factor about this unorthodox strategy is that whereas Wolter is a likeable character and an clever firm chief, his background could be very a lot in linear broadcasting – miles from the digital creators he so admires. Early in his profession, he spent years as a program director for German participation TV channel 9Live earlier than shifting to Endemol, which later grew to become Endemol Shine Germany. In 2018, Banijay determined to ascertain Banijay Germany, and Wolter was the apparent selection for founding CEO.
Regardless of that seemingly conventional previous, Wolter is embracing completely different enterprise fashions. On the core of his philosophy is model constructing, one thing that’s as essential within the creator economic system as it’s within the TV world. On the core of his plan was establishing if Banijay might persistently create titles comparable to actuality collection Mission Unknown: Atlantic – a collection wherein 12 social media creators (together with Knossi) voyaged throughout the Atlantic Ocean in two competing boats – after which monetize them properly past the normal pathways.
“In our minds, the change was utilizing the attain of the creators, who made their very own tales,” says Wolter. “Then we attracted large manufacturers earlier than we licensed all the pieces to Prime Video Germany as a last step. It was a actuality present however it was completely different, when it comes to forged, the enterprise mannequin and the platform, as we have been utilizing the YouTube attain and the TikTok attain of the creators.”
In 2022, Banijay Germany invested in Austria-based tech and influencer platform affect.imaginative and prescient, which had run advertising and marketing campaigns for the likes of Volkswagen and Samsung. It took a majority stake this yr, with affect.imaginative and prescient’s inventive expertise having built-in themselves into TV productions comparable to Kitchen Unattainable by reinterpreting recipes from the Vox present in their very own content material.
“They share the identical values that Banijay has,” says Wolter of affect.imaginative and prescient founders Branko Markovic and Florian Bösenkopf. “They’re completely impartial, and so they wish to deliver one thing from scratch and take it to the subsequent degree. They constructed up a platform that brings manufacturers along with the creators.”
A number of of these signed to Banijay Germany’s expertise companies SR Administration and Solely Good Individuals at the moment are a part of the affect.imaginative and prescient platform, which Wolter says “makes it simpler to draw the massive manufacturers” and monetize their content material.
As for why proudly owning expertise companies is vital – and this can ring acquainted to the foremost expertise corporations within the U.S. – it’s all about constructing expertise into manufacturers and packaging for patrons. “It’s essential to combine the proper expertise,” says Wolter. He provides that his firm ecosystem permits signings to search out further worth of their content material, whereas giving Banijay Germany’s suite of manufacturing firms a extra full package deal to take to streamers and broadcasters.
Arguably, this construction units Banijay Germany other than different territory-specific Banijay firms, who’ve seemed to completely different methods to search out and break new expertise. As Banijay continues to be linked with a takeover of ITV Studios, its particular person models all want future-facing enterprise fashions to outlive in a world of tech giants and consolidating U.S. media gamers.
‘The worth of independence’
Underpinning all the pieces at Banijay Germany is a give attention to “the worth of independence,” as Wolter places it. “If we wish to create a brand new model, it needs to be impartial of style, platform and even a bit of of the enterprise mannequin,” he says. “There should be other ways to create the enterprise mannequin. That is the explanation why we would have liked to construct an ecosystem – to be extra versatile and extra impartial.”
Regardless of the robust surroundings going through Germany’s broadcasters, Banijay Germany’s labels have persistently produced returning collection comparable to Temptation Island, Battle of the Actuality Stars, Who Desires to be a Millionaire?, Tatort and Dragons’ Den for the nation’s prime networks. Beat the Star, which first aired again in 2005, simply delivered its largest ever market share (23%) and drew greater than 50 million in social impressions for a June episode, whereas The 50, one other actuality present for Prime Video, has been “very profitable,” in keeping with Wolter.
“Germany is an efficient market when you have sturdy manufacturers,” he provides. “From a streamer or broadcaster perspective, it’s not the time to go for adventures and take very excessive dangers, and it’s a time of consolidation within the manufacturing market, however in case you personal sturdy producers, sturdy IP and types, and are able to ship for a very good value, it’s a very good market. That’s what we work for.”
In the meantime, Banijay Leisure has just lately been pointing to a report by the European Audiovisual Observatory that reveals it’s Europe’s prime scripted producer by variety of titles and international locations wherein it produces. Right this moment, Banijay Germany’s MadeFor Movie, which has been engaged on a Netflix reboot of native comedy hit Stromberg, was introduced as a co-producer on crime collection Bust Up starring Morgana O’Reilly (The White Lotus) and Roimata Fox (A Outstanding Place to Die) – a co-production with Lippy Photos for Sky New Zealand and ZDF.
Nonetheless, unscripted makes up about 70% of the Banijay Germany slate, a quantity that would change within the coming years relying on manufacturing cycles. “So long as we have now so many creators, it’s not straightforward to say what the vary will probably be sooner or later,” says Wolter.
Regardless of the case, that future will probably be pushed by the ecosystem Wolter and Banijay German have constructed, and by the necessity to proceed the transformation into an leisure producer working throughout TV, movie, expertise, the creator economic system and reside occasions.
“Our core enterprise is at all times constructing manufacturers so our first, second and third methods are to create and construct much more,” says Wolter. That’s what we’re doing. We’re strengthening our ecosystem to create much more independence, and this can make our firms even stronger.”
