Banijay’s Bear Grylls JV targets Asia

Delbert Shoopman (left) and Bear Grylls

Two Banijay Group joint ventures, The Natural Studios and Banijay Asia, are partnering to bring “high-octane” content to the Indian and South-East Asian market.

The collaboration will see the businesses come together to create long- and short-form content in the adventure programming space across both local and global platforms.

The group partnership marks the first for The Natural Studios, which was launched in October this year with Bear Grylls and Delbert Shoopman.

The united operation will combine Grylls’ and Shoopman’s expertise in the adventure space with Deepak Dhar-led Banijay Asia’s extensive territory knowledge.

Work is already underway on a development slate of projects in India and South-East Asia, with the first greenlit title set to be announced in the coming weeks.

Shoopman, co-CEO, The Natural Studios, said: “Conversations with Deepak followed almost immediately after launching the JV. Together we all could see the potential of venturing into a new space in India, and Banijay Asia’s knowledge and contacts have been invaluable in making it a reality.”

Dhar, CEO and founder of Banijay Asia, said “adrenaline-fuelled” projects have been relatively unexplored and have huge potential in India and South-East Asia.