Jane Smith, group director, brand licensing, will lead licensing sector, with new portfolio launching at Festival of Licensing.
Following the completion of its takeover of Endemol Shine Group earlier this summer, Banijay is further strengthening its commercial activity with the launch of Banijay Brands.
Led by newly-appointed chief commercial officer, Owain Walbyoff, Banijay Brands will encompass brand licensing, merchandising, gaming, gambling and music.
The operation will represent an extensive and diverse portfolio covering entertainment, scripted, animation, game shows and kids, offering a wide range of commercial opportunities.
Following the recent acquisition, Jane Smith, group director, brand licensing will lead the licensing area, overseeing key brands from the world’s largest international content catalogue, comprising of 88,000+ hours of original programming. She will also work with the network of teams in local markets to further expand the business.
Jane (pictured) joined Endemol Shine in 2018 and since then she has substantially driven the growth of properties such as MasterChef, Peaky Blinders and Simon’s Cat within licensing and merchandising.
Banijay Brands will launch at next month’s Festival of Licensing, with senior executives available for meetings at the virtual conference.
“Without a doubt we are a market leader in this space, and I look forward to seeing how we bolster the IP even further,” commented Owain. “Jane is a highly-experienced, strategic executive with vast industry knowledge, and with some of the world’s biggest brands in our portfolio, the possibilities are endless.”
Jane added: “Banijay Brands represents an incredibly compelling catalogue of globally-renowned, cross-genre brands, which we will be bringing to the Festival of Licensing.
“By partnering with the very best licensees in the business, we aim to create innovative and impressive products that our audiences and fans will love.”
The Banijay Brands portfolio includes MasterChef, Temptation Island, Peaky Blinders, Survivor, Deal or No Deal, The Inbetweeners, Big Brother, Mister Maker, Operation Triunfo, Eat Well for Less, Simon’s Cat, Mr Bean, Don’t, Sunday Brunch, Tipping Point, The Biggest Loser, Ready Steady Cook, Black Mirror, Miss France, Maddie’s Do You Know?, Wipeout and Crystal Maze.
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