{"id":28845,"date":"2024-12-20T08:50:32","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T13:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/worldscreen.com\/"},"modified":"2025-01-02T12:00:04","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T17:00:04","slug":"banijay-kids-familys-benoit-di-sabatino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/banijay-kids-familys-benoit-di-sabatino\/","title":{"rendered":"Banijay Kids & Family\u2019s Beno\u00eet di Sabatino"},"content":{"rendered":"

Commissioners and buyers have been leaning into shows based on known IP in today\u2019s challenged children\u2019s content market. Banijay Kids & Family, with its seven production labels, boasts several such series, including Totally Spies!<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Mr Bean<\/em>. It also recently acquired the company Procidis and its long-running show\u00a0Hello Maestro<\/em>. CEO Beno\u00eet di Sabatino tells\u00a0TV Kids<\/em>\u00a0about his plans to broaden the reach of brands, whether iconic or new. His strategy makes full use of the company\u2019s 360-degree approach to the business, which includes digital distribution, marketing, branding and licensing.<\/p>\n

\"***Image***\"TV KIDS:<\/strong>\u00a0How did the Procidis acquisition come about, and what does the company add to your portfolio?
\nDI SABATINO:<\/strong>\u00a0Procidis was a bit of a dream for me. As a kid, I remember watching Maestro talking about the human body and history and all sorts of topics. This past summer, when I had the opportunity to acquire Procidis, I felt like a kid again! The acquisition went very well. H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Barill\u00e9 is still in the company, and I am overseeing the production and management so she can focus on the artistic side.<\/p>\n

Projects are moving very quickly, and we will soon have some news to share on\u00a0Hello Maestro<\/em>, a unique IP in the edutainment genre. There are other series and producers working in that area, but this brand has existed for more than 40 years, and from the discussions I have had recently with broadcasters, the authenticity and credibility of this property are still intact. The work of Albert and H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Barill\u00e9 has been validated by doctors and experts. So, as a parent, you have the guarantee that everything on the show, whether it\u2019s about human beings or other topics, will be accurate, which is crucial to creating a secure information environment.<\/p>\n

Alongside the likes of\u00a0Totally Spies!<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Mr Bean<\/em>,\u00a0Hello Maestro<\/em>\u00a0is the perfect fit for our portfolio.\u00a0Totally Spies!<\/em>\u00a0is pop culture.\u00a0Mr Bean<\/em>\u00a0is like the Eiffel Tower but in London! It\u2019s iconic; you don\u2019t need to explain\u00a0Mr Bean<\/em>! And\u00a0Hello Maestro<\/em>\u00a0is the brand that was missing for us.<\/p>\n

TV KIDS:<\/strong>\u00a0How do you view the children\u2019s content market today?
\nDI SABATINO:\u00a0<\/strong>Some of my friends, producers and a lot of colleagues are struggling in this market. Budgets are decreasing. It\u2019s not only the production sector that is struggling, but the broadcasters are as well. But there is a paradox because 2023 was a record-breaking year for production for us. We had 16 productions, which is huge. How do I explain that? I believe belonging to a group like Banijay Entertainment is important. It\u2019s not only the skill of our producers, it\u2019s also being part of a strong group, which is considered important by the broadcasters.<\/p>\n

Banijay Kids & Family is an umbrella for seven production labels and a home to brands and talent. I\u2019m one of the seven producers, but the six other producers are really talented and creative, and it\u2019s why we can propose and produce shows even if the times are not so easy. Together, we can offer solutions to help our other producers get financing. So, it\u2019s really important to have this organization. All our labels are based in countries\u2014France, the U.K. and Italy\u2014where the free-to-air broadcasters are still strong, which, for me, is the most important thing when everybody wants to work with the streamers. I think the streamers are good partners to work with, but from the start, when I was appointed CEO of Banijay Kids & Family, I said to the producers, If you want to go to the streamers, go to the streamers, but on the local side, in all countries, broadcasters are strong, they need us, and we need them. We are keeping this relationship as strong as it was in the past, and after six years, we\u2019re seeing that protecting this relationship was the right strategy. Of course, we also have some series with streamers, but that\u2019s not our main business model.<\/p>\n

TV KIDS:<\/strong>\u00a0What are you hearing from buyers and commissioners? What are they willing to invest in?
\nDI SABATINO:<\/strong>\u00a0If you know, tell me! [Laughs<\/em>] I joke because a lot of them are changing their minds. But brands are important, and we are lucky to have titles like\u00a0Totally Spies!<\/em>,\u00a0Mr Bean<\/em>\u00a0and now\u00a0Hello Maestro<\/em>, to name a few.<\/p>\n

I used to be a producer making productions. Now I remove the words producer and productions and say we are brand entertainers creating experiences.<\/p>\n

What does that mean? I am not only producing, which involves financing, developing, drafting, etc. Now, I feel like I am ten meters above a brand, overseeing all possibilities, and production is a part of the strategy. Take\u00a0Hello Maestro<\/em>\u00a0as an example. We have some amazing projects around this brand that go from live events to merchandising and digital. When I speak to broadcasters, I tell them I have this amazing brand, and they will be part of our strategy. I\u2019m not saying, We\u2019ll make a series, and if it goes well, then maybe in two years, we will have some success.<\/p>\n

With this approach, we can create an event before the launch of the series, and the broadcaster can feel they are a part of a wider strategy. And because we are a part of Banijay Entertainment, the broadcaster believes it can happen. It\u2019s an alternative way of looking at the business, and it comes from realizing the market is changing a lot. It is as important to be on free-to-air broadcasters as it is to be on social media or part of a live event. This 360-degree strategy is important, and even the broadcasters are reassured that the series they finance will be well-exposed and they will reap the benefits. It\u2019s a game I feel ready to play, thanks to our amazing brands.<\/p>\n

TV KIDS:<\/strong>\u00a0With this strategy, you are giving them more than just a program.
\nDI SABATINO:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes, more than just a program, and it\u2019s interesting to see that sometimes these kinds of discussions with broadcasters give them some ideas. They say, We will finance the show, but can we be your partner for this live event? Do you think we can have access to the live event and use it on our platform? So, it becomes a partnership.<\/p>\n

TV KIDS:<\/strong>\u00a0Given the market, what advantage does known IP have?
\nDI SABATINO:\u00a0<\/strong>Known IP is an advantage when you have good brands. It\u2019s exactly like talking about tennis or talking about [Rafael] Nadal. We can speak about tennis, and after ten minutes, it will be the end of the discussion. If we speak about Nadal, we can stay together, have a drink and talk for a long time!<\/p>\n

We are lucky to have such strong brands, and the reason we acquired Procidis is because it is unique in the edutainment area. It fits in our portfolio. With\u00a0Totally Spies!<\/em>, we have volume; we are in season seven and producing season eight. We are also producing volume with\u00a0Mr Bean<\/em>, which is in season four, and\u00a0Hello Maestro<\/em>\u00a0is in season eight.<\/p>\n

We have announced our partnership with Amazon MGM Studios to make a\u00a0Totally Spies!<\/em>\u00a0live-action adaptation for young adults. I get so excited! I will be an executive producer along with Will Ferrell and Jessica Elbaum and their company, Gloria Sanchez Productions. Amazon MGM Studios is financing the show. We are working closely together to start the creative process and will announce a few things soon.<\/p>\n

In addition, because we have talent and creators at Banijay Kids & Family, of the 16 series I was speaking of, some are returning series and some are new. It\u2019s more difficult to create new brands or series from scratch, but we have a new season of\u00a0Hello Kitty<\/em>. We also have\u00a0Super Happy Magic Forest<\/em>, which we are doing with BBC, CANAL+, Rai, ZDF and ABC Australia. Tom Beattie, the managing director at Tiger Aspect Kids & Family, is overseeing the production\u2014he\u2019s a top producer! The new series are\u00a0Chimera Keepers: Adventures with Incredible Creatures<\/em>\u00a0from Monello Productions and\u00a0Miniheroes of the Forest<\/em>\u00a0from Movimenti in Italy, all created by top producers as well!<\/p>\n

TV KIDS:<\/strong>\u00a0As important as your broadcasters are, when you expose a brand, do you need to be on multiple platforms, or does that additional exposure occur after a show has been on the air for a while?
\nDI SABATINO:<\/strong>\u00a0It used to be like that, and now I want to change the game. I want exposure while we are producing the series. A few brands allow us to do that before the launch of the series.<\/p>\n

TV KIDS:<\/strong>\u00a0Because children are everywhere, aren\u2019t they?
\nDI SABATINO:\u00a0<\/strong>Yes, they are, and at Banijay Kids & Family, we have a very talented team that handles digital distribution. We have more than 180 digital channels across the likes of YouTube, Amazon and FAST, and they provide very important exposure to our brands and series. We also have marketing, branding and licensing teams, so we can guarantee we will be everywhere children are in one way or another for broadcasters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The CEO on his plans to broaden the reach of brands, whether iconic or new. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":289,"featured_media":28846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,21],"tags":[6621,3989],"class_list":["post-28845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-interviews","category-top-stories","tag-banijay-kids-family","tag-benoit-di-sabatino","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nBanijay Kids & Family\u2019s Beno\u00eet di Sabatino - TVKIDS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/banijay-kids-familys-benoit-di-sabatino\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Banijay Kids & Family\u2019s Beno\u00eet di Sabatino - 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