Banijay Rights at LA Virtual Screenings: new formats and high-budget series

The company attends the LA Virtual Screenings 2022 through its SVP LatAm, USH & Brazil, Michelle Wasserman, plus a big team: 'We come with an important catalog and we are aim to generate new alliances within the region. We are very excited about our participation', she summed up Prensario.

In formats, the focus is on Starstruck, whose premiere on ITV (UK) exceeded all expectations. 'The highlight is that the first version outside its territory of origin is Chile, where Canal 13 has done a tremendous job hand in hand with our creative team. We want to repeat the experience of what happened to us with The Big Music Show, which after its premiere on Mega in Chile (Dale play) was sold to Teledoce in Uruguay (Poné Play), where it has been for 4 seasons, and América TV in Argentina (Mandá Play)', added Wasserman.

Several original projects are being generated from Mexico through Endemol Shine Boomdog. ‘The news we are presenting is Are you for Real? (working title) a gameshow where the participants have an impostor to discover through fun tests. It is a co-production with Televisa that we will present the format and its Mexican can’, Wasserman said.

Romeo & Duet is a British song dating format that was also produced for ITV. See four lucky singles climb the stairs to a sparkling balcony in search of their perfect singing date. Each picker will be serenaded, but not seen, by up to four different singers. And if they like what they hear, they must reach the bottom of the stairs to choose their favorite, opening the door and locking their choice before the show ends.

Asked about the trends in Latin America, Wasserman said that there is a ‘consolidation’ of contest and talent shows, but shows with music as the axis are strong. On the canned side, highly competitive programs (Fear Factor, WipeOut, Big Brother, Survivor, among others) and factual perform very well on pan-regional pay television

She continued: 'This content works very well as there are many domestic markets where this type of large-scale projects cannot be afforded locally and therefore visual and glamorous productions arrive through pay TV as ready-made. In markets where they can be produced locally, they work very well as a complement to local versions'.

Some of the news announced during May’s LA Screenings are about one of the greatest formats of the catalogue, All Together Now (Canta Conmigo). ‘Argentina will be the third country to adapt it in the region after the success of Brazil and Colombia’, Wasserman completed.

Among scripted content, five series stand out: Rogue Heroes, from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, produced by Kudos and Nebulastar for BBC; the biopic Marie Antoniette (8 episodes) by Banijay Studios France, Capa Drama and Les Gens for CANAL + Creation Originale; Kudos and MadeFor's new drama Then You Run, in co-production with Sky; and STV Studios' Channel 4 Screw – prison drama like no other, told through the inspiring and beleaguered characters who work there.