Sports and entertainment service will offer access to live events and library content

Banijay’s German division is expanding its direct-to-consumer streamer offering by launching a sports and entertainment service.

ShowdownTV Interface Mockup

ShowdownTV is from Banijay Media Germany, the group’s local creative and marketing division, and made its bow with live broadcast of martial arts event series Ringlife Combat series 7.

The show is produced by Banijay Germany’s Mülheim TV for Showdown TV, which will also carry sports, live events and entertainment shows, available both live and on-demand.

Series on offer include reality talkshow Nightfever and sportainment brands from the Banijay Germany portfolio such as TV total Promi Wrestling, Das große Promi-Boxen and The Ultimate Hype.

The service operates on a hybrid AVOD/SVOD model, with some live events being made available on a pay-per-view basis - such as the Ringlife Combat coverage, which cost €12.99 (£11.25 -  and others ad-supported.

The streamer joins Banijay Media Germany’s comedy network and streamer myspass.de, which claims audiences in excess of 20 million subscribers.

Christian Nienaber, managing director of Banijay Media Germany, said his division’s experience with myspass had provided the impetus for the launch of the new offering.

ShowdownTV will provide “a dedicated platform” for competition-led content, sports, and live events, he said, adding that the service has been designed “to harness the dynamism and immediacy” of its shows and will open up opportunities for brand collaborations.

Banijay Entertainment has talked up the potential of DTC services over recent months, with chief exec Marco Bassetti and Banijay Group boss François Riahi both pointing to growth in the sector as part of the reasoning behind its All3Media deal.

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