Banijay acquires Good Times

Banijay Group has acquired German production group Good Times to sit alongside its existing operations in the country.

Sylvia Fahrenkrog-Petersen

Banijay Germany will take ownership of the Cologne-based factual entertainment and docu-soap specialist which has been in business for 20 years.

Founder Sylvia Fahrenkrog-Petersen will remain at the helm of the company as MD and producer, overseeing its slate and all operations.

Good Times, whose titles include Mein Lokal, Dein Lokal for Kabel Eins, Der LateNight Talk for Sat.1 and Armes Deutschland for RTL 2, will co-exist with Banijay Productions and Brainpool in Germany.

“Good Times has been synonymous with successful daytime formats and strong in-house developments in the field of factual entertainment and social documentary for many years,” said Banijay Germany CEO Marcus Wolter.

“The brand is a perfect addition to the current genre portfolio for Banijay Germany. Through the acquisition, we are welcoming a new family member, which has the potential to grow and thrive within our group.”

Fahrenkrog-Petersen, who set up Good Times in 1998, said Banijay would be a great new home for her company. “My team and I can now access a strong format catalogue and finally market our own ideas worldwide. Working in a large international network, is an exciting challenge for us, which we accept with enthusiasm,” she said.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.