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BBC Studios is expanding its operations across the Benelux with the creation of a local production base and dedicated development team, strengthening its ability to develop and produce content directly within the region.
The expansion builds on BBC Studios’ existing activities in the market, including the local production of the Dutch Bake Off formats for broadcaster Omroep MAX in collaboration with Villain Studios. The company has been active in format licensing and production across the region since 2018.
Under the new structure, BBC Studios Benelux Productions will invest more heavily in developing original intellectual property, adapting international formats for local audiences and identifying new opportunities with producers, broadcasters, platforms and creative talent.
The Benelux operation will work closely with BBC Studios’ global content teams and international creative network. Depending on individual projects, the company will be able to move between licensing, development, direct production and partnerships, while also looking for locally created formats with the potential to travel internationally.
The operation will continue to be led by Fiona Wassenberg, Head of BBC Studios Benelux Productions since October 2022. Wassenberg will now build a local creative team to support the company’s expanded development and production ambitions.
The investment forms part of BBC Studios’ wider international production strategy. The company has also expanded its production presence across markets including the Nordics, Spain and Australia, and the addition of Benelux brings its network to nine production bases outside the UK.
For BBC Studios, the move positions the Benelux not simply as a market for international formats, but as a potential source of new creative IP that can be developed locally and subsequently distributed across its global network.
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