Johannes Jensen on Co-Leading Banijay’s Scripted Charge: “We Want Bold New Stories”
Johannes Jensen knows a thing or two about the laws of the TV jungle. After all, started his industry career in 1992 as a freelancer at Swedish production firm Strix Television, where he later played a key role in producing the original version of the Survivor format, known in Sweden as Expedition: Robinson, for public…
Johannes Jensen knows a thing or two about the laws of the TV jungle. After all, started his industry career in 1992 as a freelancer at Swedish production firm Strix Television, where he later played a key role in producing the original version of the Survivor format, known in Sweden as Expedition: Robinson, for public broadcaster SVT in 1997.
Since then, he has risen through the ranks. He ended up leading the two production labels Jarowskij and Yellow Bird, which are now merged as Jarowskij/Yellow Bird under France-headquarteredcontent powerhouse Banijay Entertainment (Survivor,Black Mirror,Peaky Blinders,MasterChef,Big Brother). After serving asBanijayNordic head of scripted, a promotion early this year expanded his remit with the role of head of scripted, business, reporting to chief business officer Frédéric Balmary.
Together with head of scripted, creative Steve Matthews, he is tasked with working “to effectively support and partner with the group’s thriving portfolio of over 60 dedicated labels,” the company said, lauding Jensen for playing “an integral role in significantly uplifting scripted slates, with expertise in co-production, navigating complex industry changes, and driving long-term strategic expansion.”
Heading into his first MIPCOM since taking on the new role, Jensen has kept busy. “We see ourselves not as the ones that point out the direction or prescribe the future for the labels, but rather the ones nurturing the talents, the creativity, supporting where we think we can,” Jensen tells THR about how he and Matthews approach their jobs. “We want people, we want the labels, we want the creatives to act and be independent. Steve comes to the role with a lot of knowledge from the creative side, working with HBO and several others. He goes into the actual development, the script-writing rooms, and so on. Whereas, I come from the business perspective — having a strategy, how to finance things, and thinking about what the global world looks like. What is the appetite for certain things? So, we complement each other and have a holistic approach.”
The output of the more than 60 labels in more than 20 territories that Jensen works with within the Banijay family speaks for itself. “Over the last years, we produced more than 1,000 hours of scripted content, over 100 titles,” he explains. “And we were the number one European scripted studio.”
‘Culpa Nuestra’
Courtesy of Banijay
But what are Jensen and colleagues looking for? “We always say that we put creativity first. We want bold, new stories,” he tells THR. “We’re also fostering IP because we need scale and balance. And we are trying to bring the labels, the producers together, where we can find the physical opportunity to share information. ‘We have an idea here. We’re lacking funding. We know this opportunity.’ That’s where we bring them together at gatherings like MIPCOM or other festivals or trade events to have a day where we’re trying to share some of the knowledge we have. The most important thing is bringing them together so they start meeting each other and learn from each other.”
Jensen has his eyes on sustainable growth in terms of output rather than quick short-term wins. “In general, we’re trying to be very ambitious. We want to create more, but at the same time, you need to be smart,” he explains. “We’re not going to be over-investing. We’re not deficit funding in a lot of things. We are working in an ecosystem where we have been smart in putting financing together over the years.”
The U.K., Italy, and Spain are Banijay’s “dominant markets for us currently,” Jensen highlights, also citing France, Germany, and the Nordics as “strong markets.”
Asked about the company’s growth areas, the exec tells THR: “We’re doing more and more with the global streamers, which are becoming more and more. In the beginning, we were uncertain, but now we can see they’re here to stay. They are complementing what the local broadcasters are looking for.”
So what does the Banijay scripted team focus on at MIPCOM this week? “It’s such a long list,” Jensen says with a laugh. “We have huge stories, including some strong returners, but obviously also new shows. We just had the premiere of the drama House of Guinness for Netflix. And the second season of The Buccaneers launched on Apple TV+” and has been renewed for a third season.
Other returning Banijay dramas include Bergerac and SAS: Rogue Heroes from the U.K. and The Law According to Lidia Poët from Italy, while new offers include French historical drama series Montmartre. Plus, the final chapter of the Spanish Culpa movie trilogy for Prime Video, Culpa Nuestra, is coming out.
Among the upcoming new dramas is Half Man, starring Richard Gadd andJamie Bell, a co-production between the BBC and HBO that explores the complex relationship between two estranged brothers.
‘Half Man,’ courtesy of BBC/Mam Tor Productions/Anne Binckebanck
“We have some really strong English-language series, both for streamers and for broadcasters, and then a lot of non-English speaking shows as well,” highlights Jensen. “What all these titles have in common that I really think resonates worldwide is that they’re built based on a local story rather than trying to create a global hit. Think locally, act globally. We go from a huge historical piece for Netflix, like House of Guinness, to a small Swedish young adult comedy, and they both attract audiences in different ways.”
Other Banijay scripted priorities include a contemporary reboot of the Wallander franchise, starring Gustaf Skarsgård and featuring three 90-minute films based on the original novels,and Falling, a six-part drama from acclaimed British writer Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials) and starring Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu. “Anna is a devoted nun who has spent most of her adult life in a convent whilst David, a catholic priest, is at the top of his game, committed to his work in the church and the Bristol community that surrounds it,” reads a synopsis of the latter. “Neither are expected to fall in love… However, when they do, both Anna and David are forced to wrestle with what it means for them, their vows, and their relationship with God.”
Asked about the state of premium series in the post-peak TV era, the exec says: “High-end drama is super difficult to finance, and we’re all struggling with budgets going up and financing going down. But that’s part of the business. We still think it’s a sustainable thing to continue investing in because we think that makes the stories relevant worldwide.”
Anna (Keeley Hawes) and David (Paapa Essiedu) in ‘Falling,’ courtesy of Banijay
What role will AI play in the future of scripted TV? “AI obviously will be something that will affect the business,” Jensen tells THR. “We don’t look at it as a creative tool. We are doing things with AI to support our creatives. We don’t want to replicate all the things that were done by asking AI to write the next script. But we are going to use it like when we started using iPhones. They have become a natural part of our lives. And I think AI will be that as well.”
Amid all the challenges, opportunities, and technological change, Jensen is keeping his focus firmly on
one key goal. “Sustainable growth is something super important for us,” he says. “It means staying ambitious, but being smart, balancing risk and funding and having the focus on creativity. That is why the main overall focus is being open to new, bold stories, while at the same time valuing the big IPs that we have within the group. And it is why we mix working with broadcasters and streamers.
