Magnolia


News round-up: ITVS expands US drama labels; Sky Italia snags Banijay’s ‘Pechino Express’; eOne outlines civil rights docuseries

Sky Italia travels with Pechino Express Sky Italia has struck a deal with Banijay Italia for future seasons of Pechino Express (Pekin Express), the local version of the Belgian-Dutch original format owned and licensed by 4MAT4. The format revolves around celebrity couples who must travel for thousands of kilometres in territories that are both geographically […]

Banijay merges Italian prodcos DryMedia and Magnolia into single entity

Banijay Group is merging its Italian production businesses DryMedia and Magnolia into a single entity. Banijay Italia will focus on unscripted production and is to be led by CEO Fabrizio Ievollella, who previously headed up DryMedia and has been with the company since 2002. He will be joined by fellow DryMedia execs Danila Battiglini, who […]

Formats round-up: Banijay, Story Lab, Vivendi strike deals

Exclusive: Banijay’s Magnolia options Hold On To Your Seat in Italy Banijay-backed Magnolia has picked up the rights to French quiz show format Hold On To Your Seat for Italy. The Italian producer acquired rights for the long-running format – originally created and produced by Paris-based prodco Effervescence – from distributor Widenn Content. The iconic […]

Italy & Russia latest to Guess My Age

Broadcasters in Italy and Russia have become the latest to remake French game show Guess My Age. Sky network TV8 has commissioned Banijay Group-owned Magnolia to produce 45 daily episodes later this month, while U-TV  in Russia is getting 20 daily eps from another Banijay firm, Mastiff. The deals with format owner Vivendi Entertainment, whose […]

Raft of Secret Life of 4 Year Olds deals

The Secret Life of 4 Year Olds format has been picked up by broadcasters across Europe. The format observes a group of 4 year olds in detail, showing how they play and interact with each other in a real nursery setting. The show was created by UK prodco RDF, which is part of the Banijay […]

My Restaurant Rocks with Sky Italia

Sky Italia has ordered a version of Red Arrow International format My Restaurant Rocks for its pay TV operation. Zodiak Media-owned prodco Magnolia will produce the show, which will air weekly from March 4. Magnolia’s chief creative officer Stefano Orsucci said the show would be “a great opportunity for viewers of Sky Italia to not […]

Signs of the Zodiak

In his first interview since becoming Zodiak Media’s CEO, Marc-Antoine d’Halluin outlines his plan to turn its group of worldwide production companies and studios into a unified confederation, while putting international format development at the heart of the business. Jesse Whittock reports. With an office perched at the summit of a west London business village, […]

BBC crafts swathe of format deals for Sewing Bee

BBC Worldwide has agreed deals for local versions of its Sewing Bee format in France, Norway and Sweden. David Weiland, Worldwide’s executive VP, Western Europe, told TBI about the deals from the ongoing BBC Showcase event in Liverpool. The fact-ent format, which was created by Bake Off producer Love Productions, has also been optioned Italy, […]

Zodiak poaches Endemol Italia exec in Magnolia reshuffle

Zodiak Media has appointed Endemol Italia’s Leonardo Pasquinelli (below right) as managing director of its Italian prodco Magnolia. This follows co-founder Ilaria Dallatana’s decision to step down as Magnolia’s CEO. Dallatana (far left) will remain on Magnolia’s board and as a member of Zodiak’s International Development Board, but company co-founder Francesca Canetta, currently chief content […]

Hell’s Kitchen opens in Germany, Italy

Hell’s Kitchen, the cooking format chef Gordon Ramsay made famous in the US, is being remade by broadcasters in Germany and Italy, TBI has learned. German commercial channel Sat.1 and Italian pay TV channel Sky Uno HD have commissioned local versions of the ITV Studios Global Entertainment-distributed format. The show follows a high-profile perfectionist chefs […]