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
Priyanka Kaur Dhillon joins SVF Entertainment as lead for music distribution
A seasoned content dealmaker with 16 years in digital and satellite media joins the Bengali entertainment powerhouse as it pushes into the pan-India music market
Mumbai: Priyanka Kaur Dhillon has made her move. The content acquisitions and commercials veteran, most recently commercial manager at Sony Pictures Networks India, has joined SVF Entertainment as lead for music distribution, stepping into one of the more interesting briefs in regional entertainment right now.
SVF is no ordinary regional label. Over 30 years it has built a formidable legacy in Bengali cinema and music, driven by culturally resonant storytelling and a catalogue that consistently punches above its weight. Its recent success with Chiraiya underlines the point. But the Kolkata-based powerhouse now has its sights firmly set beyond Bengal, most visibly through Legacy, a rap reality series produced in collaboration with hip-hop label Kalamkaar that signals a deliberate push into the pan-India music ecosystem.
Dhillon brings precisely the kind of muscle SVF needs for that expansion. At Sony Pictures Networks India, she led film acquisition and commercials and handled music licensing across the entire satellite network. Before that, she spent nearly 15 years at Hungama, rising to assistant general manager and leading strategic content licensing for the platform’s digital entertainment business, with a particular focus on international markets. Her label relationships span the full roster: Sony Music, Universal Music, Warner Music, Believe International, Tunecore, The Orchard and a clutch of smaller aggregators. She has negotiated and closed deals with Hollywood studios, Bollywood production houses and regional content players alike, building pricing models and deal structures off data analysis rather than instinct.
Announcing the appointment, Dhillon said she was “thrilled to begin this journey with an iconic Bengali music label and content powerhouse,” adding that SVF’s “constant drive to push boundaries” was what drew her to the role.
SVF has spent three decades proving that regional does not mean limited. With a sharp commercial operator now steering its music distribution, its bid to go national just got a good deal more serious.
