MIP CANCUN: Banijay Iberia’s Pilar Blasco Talks Content Opportunities

Elizabeth Bowen-Tombari, editor of TV Latina, moderated a keynote session at MIP CANCUN today with Pilar Blasco, CEO of Banijay Iberia, covering growth opportunities offered by platforms, synergies among the brands she supervises and the importance of collaborating with new talent.

The discussion began by addressing Banijay Iberia’s key achievements and challenges over its four years of existence. “I believe our greatest achievement has also been our biggest challenge,” Blasco remarked. “Banijay acquired Endemol Shine in 2019, and then the pandemic hit. Over these four years, we’ve focused on what we need to do: creating, developing, selling and producing programs. This work has been a monumental effort, and these have been four exciting years—we haven’t had time to be bored.”

Blasco added: “The most notable aspect of all this has been not only maintaining our position as a team but also strengthening the Banijay Iberia brand across all companies.”

Bowen-Tombari then brought up the format Your Face Sounds Familiar, which has aired for eight seasons on Antena 3 and has been adapted in about 40 countries worldwide. Speaking about the show’s success, Blasco explained, “The idea is simple but captivating—it takes celebrities out of their comfort zones by stripping away their identity to see if they can embody that of another international star.”

The show has been designed to appeal to all audiences. “It’s very family-oriented, like the programs of the past that brought the whole family together in front of the TV,” she said. “It’s been challenging to achieve, but I think it’s making a comeback.”

Blasco also oversees a portfolio of brands within the company, including Cuarzo Producciones, Diagonal TV, Endemol Portugal, Gestmusic, Shine Iberia, Tuiwok Estudios, Zeppelin Television and Banijay Iberia Sports.

Amid this oversight, synergy, communication and teamwork are crucial. “We meet with the teams weekly and are always there to address any issues,” Blasco explained. “Our job is to provide support and ensure they don’t have to worry about management matters.”

When asked by Bowen-Tombari about the synergies between Banijay Iberia and Banijay Entertainment and how they leverage shared resources, Blasco commented, “It’s an entire ecosystem at your disposal. There’s access to a catalog of around 130,000 hours of content. It’s also about sharing best practices—what has worked in one territory—and having funds to invest in specific promotions.”

The company also launched the Banijay Iberia Sports label, a division focused on creating and developing original sports content. This initiative aims to expand Banijay Iberia’s efforts in sports entertainment, documentaries and digital content. “We believe this can be very interesting, even though the sports segment is oversaturated,” Blasco noted. “There are many players in this space, but we aim to take a different path.”

The conversation then turned to the proliferation of platforms in today’s market and the company’s work with them. “We’ve achieved a level of variety and diversity that wasn’t possible with traditional broadcast television,” Blasco highlighted. “[These platforms] have benefited the industry by spotlighting the work of Spanish professionals. They’ve allowed us to take bigger risks and target more specific audiences, which has been incredibly rewarding, especially for creators.”

Bowen-Tombari also inquired about the kind of talent Banijay Iberia seeks, whether established or new. “We like to combine both,” Blasco replied. “We need young talent because if something doesn’t align with the culture of the moment, it’s destined to fail. It’s exciting for us to gain a fresh perspective from young people, so we often mix them into teams.”

Looking ahead to 2025, Blasco expressed optimism about the company’s workload. “We want to continue prioritizing scripted content while remaining relevant in reality and other genres,” she concluded.