Banijay and Web 3.0

Welcome to The Metaverse

As Banijay’s Chief Commercial Officer, I am responsible for the group’s overarching commercial strategy, managing all teams under the commercial division, Banijay Brands, across merchandising, brand licensing, gaming, gambling, music and secondary rights. As a team, we are constantly exploring the latest trends and striving to identify new licensing opportunities for our IP. We’ve all heard the latest buzzwords – Web 3.0, the metaverse, NFTs… but do they really offer a tangible opportunity for brand owners monetise their IP? Banijay is the world’s largest independent content producer and distribu-

tor, which boasts a catalogue of more than 4000 titles and 130,000 hours of content. From Mr Bean to Black Mirror, Deal or No Deal and MasterChef, our stable of IP is unrivalled, and puts Banijay Brands in the enviable position of having world class brands at our fingertips. The shows themselves reach huge international audiences, and the appetite from our global audience to engage with them beyond the screen is phenomenal. Banijay Brands is fully committed to creating deeper connections between consumers and brands, and we are heavily exploring all things Web 3.0, to understand how we can bring audiences new experiences with our IP. Decentralised platforms are emerging as the new disrupters in the market and definitely ones to watch, and there have already been some great activations in this space from the likes of Coca-Cola, Gucci, Nike and Samsung. The metaverse has the potential to unlock new and unique opportunities for our IP, giving our consumers a much deeper connection with the TV brands they love, free from the constraints of physical location. From setting up virtual environments to live events and experiences, the potential to drive consumer engagement, is incredibly exciting. We have already dipped our toe in the water, with our first NFT drop earlier this year. The Mr Bean digital collectibles were launched

with Metaverse specialists FOMO Lab, via their marketplace, The Avenue. Released in a fluctuating and challenging space, it was great to see such a positive response for the brand which has a great following in the metaverse. And we are speaking to a number of different businesses in this category, closing deals at the moment, so watch this space for more announcements coming soon! We must acknowledge that investing in such a new category is not without risk. As we have seen, cryptocurrency can be extremely volatile, but we are working with the best partners to safeguard us. As we further explore this market, like all other areas of business, IP retention is key, to ensure we can exploit our brands effectively. And we diligently strive to protect the quality and authenticity of our brands in this space. Whether it’s a product, a live experience or an NFT, our audiences have high expectations, and any brand extension must reflect and compliment their on-screen experience. As this space continues to evolve, with our catalogue of globally-loved brands, we want to be at the forefront…and have some fun along the way! Watch this space for exciting projects we have launching in the coming months.

Owain Walbyoff, Chief Commercial Officer, Banijay talks to Total Licensing