Banijay Rights Signs German Sales Exec

EXCLUSIVE: Big Brother seller Banijay Rights has signed a former BBC Worldwide Director as the head of its sales and co-pros in German-speaking territories.

Isabelle Helle joins in the SVP German-Speaking Territories and Poland post to oversee a crucial clutch of territories for the French-headquartered sales powerhouse. The team has had a slight rejig. Helle’s predecessor, Veronique Verges, was previously SVP German-Speaking Territories, Poland & Hungary, before leaving at the end of March.

Helle is a former Director of BBC Worldwide Germany and has most recently been running her own consultancy, managing various domestic and international projects including high-end co-production deals.

Run by Cathy Payne, Banijay Rights has an 185,000-hour strong catalog that includes the likes of Big Brother, MasterChef, Peaky Blinders and Black Mirror.

Based in Cologne, Helle will report into Claire Jago, EVP EMEA Sales and Acquisitions, Banijay, who said: “Isabelle is an extremely well-respected sales executive with a deep understanding of the German-speaking market. We are thrilled she joins the Banijay Rights sales team as we look to continue our success across Europe.”

Helle added: “Banijay Rights is one of the pre-eminent distributors in the international content industry so I’m delighted to join a team of this caliber. There is real opportunity for growth in German-speaking territories and Poland and I look forward to getting started.”

Delivering a Series Mania set piece recently, Payne predicted streamers will return to commissioning originals in bulk once they “break even.”