Banijay Entertainment has launched Players Network, a new digital sports brand designed to house personality-led, social-first sports entertainment formats.
The first title under the banner, Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party, launches today (June 10) across YouTube, Amazon Prime and major podcast platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Produced by Banijay UK label Workerbee in collaboration with sports and entertainment content studio Contentuual, the series is fronted by former Leicester City and England striker Jamie Vardy.
The video podcast will feature guests from across sport, entertainment, broadcasting, comedy and the creator economy, with Rebekah Vardy also set to make guest appearances. Banijay Rights is handling international distribution of the series, which is also launching in the US. The debut will be supported by a UK billboard campaign.
Jamie Vardy said: “I am excited to launch the podcast with one of the major players in the game, Banijay Entertainment. I am still an active player but having an opportunity to chat football and have a banter off the pitch is something that I am really looking forward to.”
Rick Murray, CEO of Workerbee, added: “Sport is a big part of our strategy, and we’re focused on creating digital-first formats that put great talent front and centre. Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party is a perfect example – it’s entertaining, highly shareable and driven by one of football’s biggest personalities. As we grow our direct-to-consumer offering, we’re looking for more projects that can connect with audiences across platforms and look forward to developing more projects with Jamie and Rebekah.”
The launch expands Banijay Entertainment’s existing sports activities, which are overseen by Banijay Sports, the group’s division focused on sportainment, documentaries, digital content, live events, creator-led ventures and scripted projects.
