Banijay France, the French division of global indie TV giant Banijay, has added another boutique outfit to its growing stable of production companies, acquiring French non-scripted specialist DMLS TV, Banijay said on Wednesday.
Set up and still run by co-founders Anne Marcassus and Mathieu Vergne, DMLS TV is best known for its singing and music formats, including La Chanson Secrète (The Secret Song), La Chanson Challenge, (The Celebrity Song Challenge), La Lettre (Yours Sincerely) and Duos Mystères (Mystery Duets). The group also produces the annual television charity special Les Enfoirés, which features some of France’s biggest on-screen talent.
Marcassus and Vergne will remain in charge of operations at DMLS, reporting to Banijay France CEO François de Brugada.
With the acquisition, Banijay now controls 11 production labels across the French TV landscape, including Adventure Line Productions, Endemol France, H2O Productions Shine Fiction, and Marathon Studio. The group’s shows range from hit reality formats Survivor and Fort Boyard to high-end drama series Versailles, to daily talk show Touche Pas à Mon Poste hosted by Cyril Hanouna.
“As we continue to widen our offering in France and cement our stronghold in the market, DMLS TV is the perfect addition,” said François de Brugada in a statement. “Aligned in our commitment to high-quality, unscripted hits, Anne and Mathieu further bolster our entertainment and music catalog and I’ve no doubt their titles have the capacity to travel the group worldwide.”
In a joint statement, Marcassus and Vergne said they looked forward to “enjoying access” to Banijay’s extensive catalog of format rights and said the deal was “a wonderful opportunity for DMLS TV’s titles to travel the world.”
Parent company Banijay, which just last year acquired indie TV giant Endemol Shine Group, is the world’s largest independent television content producer and distributor with more than 120 companies across 22 territories. Its programming catalog includes such highlights as Big Brother, Peaky Blinders, MasterChef and Black Mirror.
This article originally appeared in THR.com.
