Film Production
Banijay’s Don’t Forget the Lyrics heads to Portugal for the first time
MUMBAI: Banijay-owned Shine Iberia has confirmed that it is bringing Não te Esqueças da Letra (Don't Forget the Lyrics) to Portugal in a first series deal with RTP1. Presented by João Paulo Rodrigues, the musical game show will air in Portugal on Saturday evenings from this spring.
Singing ability plays no part in this entertainment series, instead it is all about correctly remembering the words to hit songs to win a life-changing cash prize. Contestants choose from different genres and decades, and take to the stage and sing-along with the studio band as the lyrics are displayed. But will they have what it takes when the music stops? Or will they forget the lyrics?
Originally created in the US, Banijay format Don’t Forget the Lyrics first aired in 2007 and has been adapted in over 25 countries. The format is a long-running hit in France, produced by Air Productions and celebrating 5,000 episodes on France 2 this spring.
Banijay creative networks content operations global head Lucas Green said: “Don’t Forget the Lyrics is the epitome of feel-good entertainment which is incredibly popular right now. As we celebrate 5,000 episodes in France, it is great to be bringing the show to new markets and we firmly believe other broadcasters will be interested in the mixture of game and music the format offers.”
Shine Iberia CEO Macarena Rey said: “We are excited to create a local version of this uplifting format which the whole family can enjoy together. The home of Fado, Portugal has always enjoyed a booming music scene and Don’t Forget the Lyrics promises to create the fun, party atmosphere many viewers are craving.”
Shine Iberia is behind numerous non-scripted shows airing across Spain and Portugal. Currently on-air in Portugal is the country’s first local version of All Together Now, along with entertainment hits such as Hell’s Kitchen and The Voice Kids.
Other offerings from Shine Iberia include MasterChef, MasterChef Junior and MasterChef Celebrity, alongside Sewing Bee, The Island, Anything Goes, Hunted, MasterChef Portugal, D’Improviso, The Voice Portugal, Kitchen Nightmares and I Love Portugal.
Film Production
Disney to cut 1,000 jobs under new chief executive
The entertainment giant’s freshly installed boss inherits a restructuring already in motion, with marketing and corporate roles bearing the brunt
CALIFORNIA: Walt Disney is preparing to slash up to 1,000 jobs in the coming weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported, as the entertainment giant’s freshly installed chief executive moves swiftly to trim fat and tighten the ship.
The cuts, less than 1 per cent of Disney’s global workforce of 231,000, will fall hardest on marketing and corporate roles. The planning, notably, began before D’Amaro formally took the top job in March, suggesting the new boss inherited a restructuring already in motion rather than one of his own making.
Driving the push is Asad Ayaz, Disney’s newly appointed chief marketing officer, who in January assumed command of a unified, company-wide marketing operation spanning film, television and streaming. His consolidation drive has been given a suitably cinematic internal name: Project Imagine.
The move is modest by Disney’s recent standards. Between 2023 and 2025, under former chief executive Bob Iger, the company eliminated roughly 8,000 positions across several brutal rounds of cuts, saving $7.5 billion, comfortably exceeding its own targets. As recently as June 2025, several hundred more jobs were axed across Disney Entertainment, hitting film and television marketing, publicity, casting, development and corporate finance.
Disney’s structural headaches are well-documented: shrinking streaming margins, a weakened box office, and fierce competition from Amazon and YouTube gnawing at its flanks. The company is merging its Disney+ and Hulu teams into a single app, has brought in consultants from Bain & Co to guide its broader cost strategy, and is betting heavily on digital growth.
The wider entertainment industry offers little comfort. Sony Pictures, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have all taken the knife to their workforces in recent years, and further cuts loom if Paramount’s acquisition of Warner goes through.
For D’Amaro, the message is clear: there will be no honeymoon period. The magic kingdom still has some cost-cutting spells left to cast.
