London Screenings: Banijay Benelux Unveils Balloon Format ‘Blow Up’ And ‘Hunted Into The Wild’ Spin-Off

EXCLUSIVE: Banijay’s Benelux division has been commissioned for a Lego Masters-style balloon-making competition format and an Into the Wild spin-off of global hit Hunted.

As the global producer/distributor gears up for its London Screenings event on Wednesday, Benelux CEO Peter Lubbers unveiled Blow Up, an Endemol Shine Netherlands-produced competition for RTL 4 in which contestants create unique and mind-blowing balloon artworks.

Lubbers called the show “exciting, interesting and full of reality,” comparing it to other hobby-inspired Banijay formats such as Lego Masters and Domino Challenge. 

“We are constantly looking for new trends, areas and situations and the world of balloon artists appears a totally big one,” he said.

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The show’s pilot was funded partly by Banijay and Lubbers praised the collaboration of the wider team, which allows his Benelux division to draw on the expertise of those in the likes of the Nordics, Germany and England. The Benelux team also has a data and marketing unit for additional development insight.

“There is very regular contact between all these countries and when we have good ideas that everyone believes in, Banijay invests,” said Lubbers.

To that end, NPO 3’s Hunted Into the Wild is the result of a collaboration helmed by Banijay label SimpelZodiak and will take ordinary people into inhospitable landscapes to evade capture.

The original, which is also produced by SimpelZodiak in the nation and has been sold to a raft of territories along with a celebrity version over the past seven years, sees people evading such capture in cities and towns across the host country.

“On shows like this we combine local wisdom with global ambition,” added Lubbers.

His team is also working on scripted projects such as Bonnie and Clyde (co-produced with Totem Media), the first for recently-rebranded Banijay Benelux Scripted.

Lubbers is also hoping RTL will commission a third series of the recently-rebooted Big Brother, which airs in both The Netherlands and Belgium on RTL and Play 4 respectively, more than 20 years after John de Mol came up with the show.

“Both networks are confident and satisfied with the series and feel they made the right choice bringing it back,” he added. “Hopefully we get a third season.”

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