Tuesday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Banijay, YouTube unveil Creators Lab cohort

Banijay France and YouTube have revealed the creators selected for its industry-first initiative, Creators Lab.

The scheme, which launched in June, is designed to allow creators to reinvent a sample of Banijay Entertainment’s French entertainment formats.

Each creator receives up to €50,000 for the development and production of their pilot and is supported by Banijay France’s creatives and producers, alongside strategic coaching from YouTube.

Finalist creators are: Valise & Caramel, reinventing Minute to Win It (Banijay Production Media); SparkDise, reimagining 1ère Compagnie (Endemol France); Louise Aubery (MyBetterSelf), taking on Got to Dance (DMLS TV), and; Noa Dorian, revisiting Dilemme (B Prod).

BBCS ANZ cuts roles

BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand (BBCS ANZ) has trimmed its workforce with media and streaming roles being cut.

Less than 10 roles have been removed from the BBCS ANZ roster, according to Australian trade TV Tonight. The move comes less than a month since BBCS merged its Australia & New Zealand division with its operations in Asia to create an enlarged APAC unit headed up by Robi Stanton. 

She became president of APAC Media & Streaming for BBCS, which said the move was part of a strategy to “streamline” its global operations while “accelerating growth across key international markets”. Broadcast International has contacted BBCS for comment on the latest cuts.

ZDF, Walter Presents among APC deals

Distributor About Premium Content (APC) has sold Norwegian influencer drama Requiem for Selina, produced by Anti for NRK, to ZDF (Germany), SVT (Sweden) and Be tv (French-speaking Belgium).

The series has also been picked up by RTS (French-speaking Switzerland), Ici Tou.TV Extra (Radio-Canada, French-speaking Canada) and Cinobo (Greece & North Macedonia).

Other APC deals include Dutch WW2 drama The Council, produced by Levitate Film and Caviar for NPO, selling to The Network (US), RTBF (French-speaking Belgium), Télé-Québec (French-speaking Canada), RTP (Portugal), Walter Presents (UK), HOT (Israel) and Be tv (French-speaking Belgium).

Finnish supernatural thriller Icebreaker, produced by Helsinki Filmi for Elise Viihde, has sold to Sky (Switzerland) and LRT (Lithuania).

Conflict enters 30 more countries 

Keshet International (KI) has sold action thriller Conflict into more thsn 30 countries, following its premiere on MTV Finland.

Produced by Backman & Hoderoff and XYZ Films for MTV Finland, Conflict (6 x 60 moinutes) explores the possibility of a proxy war breaking out in Europe.

Buyers include Canal+ (Benelux, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia), Lionsgate Play in India, BETV in Belgium, Free TV in Israel and TV4 in Sweden.

Canal+ has already picked up rights in France and Poland, while AMC Networks International has acquired for Spain and Portugal.