Banijay Boards Reality Show ‘The Hotel’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Ahead of next week’s Mipcom, Banijay has acquired global rights to Argentine celebrity competition series “The Hotel,” continuing its hugely successful relationship with Diego Guebel’s high-flying Boxfish in Argentina.
Produced by Boxfish for Canal 13, one of Argentina’s biggest free-to-air channels, “The Hotel” (“El Hotel”) sees 16 celebrity contestants shut themselves away for four months in a luxury hotel on the outskirts of a city. There’s only one caveat: the luxury establishment does not employ any staff.
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“While guests enjoy a luxurious stay in the pool, spa and live shows and tuck into gourmet dinners, staff are housed in the hotel’s service area, washing linen, preparing breakfast and serving the guests’ every need,” Banijay explained Saturday, announcing its acquisition.
The celebrities decide at the start of the week who are ‘guests’ and who become the ‘hotel staff.’ At the end of the week, an elimination duel determines who leaves “The Hotel,” before the final winner takes home what is described as a huge cash prize.
A playful take on the social gulf, tackling with humor a huge hot button issue in Argentina and indeed the world, “The Hotel” will be presented to buyers at Mipcom in Cannes next week. Banijay will represent both the finished series and format globally (excluding Argentina, Spain and Brazil). Banijay Rights will also be selling the title at Mipcom.
“‘The Hotel’ is a colourful reality show featuring challenges with real jeopardy for celebrity contestants, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats,” said Lucas Green, global head of content operations, Banijay, arguing that the series instances the “incredible breadth” of Banijay’s multi-genre catalogue of over 135,000 hours.
Headed by famed former Cuatro Cabezas’ founder Guebel, producer of the multi-formated “CQC,” from 2020 Boxfish has produced three seasons of “MasterChef Celebrity,” a Banijay mega format screening on the ViacomCBS-owned Telefe, which has taken Argentine primetime and social media by storm from a first season October 2020 bow. The Boxfish Argentine makeover won three top awards including the Golden Martin Fierro for best program of the year at May’s 2022 edition of the awards.
One of Latin America’s fastest-growing TV companies, Boxfish is now developing and producing content for different streamers, including Paramount+, HBOMax, Netflix and Amazon PrimeVideo. Having opened offices not only in Buenos Aires but also Madrid and São Paulo, Boxfish is expanding energetically in Spain and Brazil. Three-part doc series “Locomía,” a Movistar Plus+ original produced with Boxfish, proved the biggest non-fiction hit on Spain’s Movistar Plus+ to date in 2022 when it bowed on the Spanish pay TV/SVOD player in June.
“The Hotel” joins Banijay’s market-leading slate of titles at Mipcom. Format highlights take in “Starstruck,” “Blow Up,” “Love Triangle,” “Le Plus Grand Karaoké de France” and “MasterChef: Young Talent.”
Banijay Rights-fronted premium scripted titles include “Marie Antoinette,” “Rogue Heroes,” “Bali 2002,” “Serial Lover” and third-party dramas “Stonehouse” and “Riches.”
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