Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party as Banijay launches digital sports company

Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party

European production and distribution giant Banijay has launched a digital sports company called Players Network – powered by Banijay Entertainment, and revealed a new show fronted by footballer Jamie Vardy as its first title.

Players Network will house “bold, personality-driven, social-first sports entertainment formats.” Its first offering, Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party, is produced by Banijay UK label Workerbee in collaboration with sports and entertainment studio Contentuual.

Presented by Premier League winner Vardy, it is described as a sports entertainment format for digital-native, social-first audiences. Each episode sees the former Leicester striker welcome celebrity guest stars, including his own wife, Rebekah.

It has launched today on YouTube, Prime Video and podcast platforms such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Banijay Rights is distributing the title, which will also launch in the US.

Workerbee CEO Rick Murray said: “Sport is a big part of our strategy, and we’re focused on creating digital-first formats that put great talent front and centre. Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party is a perfect example – it’s entertaining, highly shareable and driven by one of football’s biggest personalities.

“As we grow our direct-to-consumer offering, we’re looking for more projects that can connect with audiences across platforms and look forward to developing more projects with Jamie and Rebekah.”