Banijay & Bookwire Forge Partnership

Banijay Kids & Family and digital publishing company Bookwire have teamed up to launch a slate of audiobooks.

An audiobook version of Banijay’s animation Totally Spies! is now available in French via all major podcast listening platforms, including Audible, Apple Books, Google, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music and YouTube Music.

Totally Spies! is produced by the Banijay Kids & Family label Zodiak Kids & Family France. Originally running from 2001 for six seasons, a new series has been confirmed and is set to launch from next year around the world with co-producers Gulli (France) and Discovery Kids LatAm. It will also air across EMEA and the U.S. with Warner Bros. Discovery.

More audiobooks produced from the partnership include Mumfie and Martin Mystery.

Mumfie is a preschool comedy series based on Britt Allcroft’s Magic Adventures of Mumfie. It is produced by Zodiak Kids & Family France and Animoka, alongside France Télévisions and Rai (Italy).

Martin Mystery is based on the comic book by Alfredo Castelli. A series of supernatural slime, thrills and comedy, it is distributed by Zodiak Kids & Family Distribution (part of Banijay Kids & Family).

Lyon-based studio Blynd worked on the adaptations of Totally Spies! and Martin Mystery, while Kidsono created the Mumfie audio series.

Annick Bizet, new business and strategic alliances director for Banijay Kids & Family, said: “With Banijay Kids & Family’s diverse portfolio, there are endless and exciting opportunities to explore for our brands beyond the screen. Bookwire is a great partner with extensive expertise, and it is wonderful to see our first range of audiobooks hit the market.”

Mariana Feged, general manager at Bookwire, stated: “Bookwire opened an office in Paris in July 2021. Bookwire offers French publishers and audiovisual producers personalized assistance to launch themselves into the rapidly growing French audiobook market, filled with new opportunities. In addition to our distribution solution, Bookwire’s services include our WAY (We Audiobook You) production solution. We are delighted that these series have benefited from it.”