Authentic Prod

What Authentic Prod does

Authentic Prod (legal entity: AUTHENTIC MEDIA) is a French independent television production company founded in 2011 by Aline Panel and headquartered in Paris. The company specializes in producing scripted fiction across all formats (short-form, 26', 52', 90') and genres (drama, comedy, detective/crime, period, documentary), with a thematic focus on emotional storytelling, women's condition, social justice, environmental protection, and family dynamics. Authentic Prod is a subsidiary of the Banijay Group, one of the largest global content production and distribution conglomerates, which provides financial backing and international distribution infrastructure.

The company generates revenue through coproduction deals, production fees, broadcast rights, and international distribution. Its primary customers are major French broadcasters TF1 and France Télévisions (France 2, France 3, France 5), with secondary carriage on streaming platforms Disney+ and Canal+. Its core catalog includes the long-running school drama SAM (8 seasons on TF1, 2016–2025, adapted from Danish series RITA!), the family drama Je te promets (3 seasons on TF1, 2022–2023, adapted from 20th Television's This Is Us), the historical saga Montmartre (TF1), the summer saga L'Or Bleu (France Télévisions), and regional crime dramas Les Secrets du Château and Les Secrets du Paquebot (France 3). Distribution partners include Banijay Rights, Newen Connect, Federation Entertainment, About Premium Content, and ZED, with cross-border coproduction through Fontana (RTBF, Belgium).

The business model is professional services-style project commissioning: each production is financed through pre-sales to broadcasters, supplemented by international distribution advances, tax credits, and Banijay's financing capacity. The team is small (1–10 employees) and led by President-Producer Aline Panel, with eight named personnel covering production, development, legal, finance, and administration. Authentic Prod operates with no proprietary technology platform; the company is a content production house whose competitive position rests on creative talent, broadcaster relationships, and the Banijay distribution ecosystem rather than on technology or data assets.

Name

Authentic Prod

Legal name

AUTHENTIC MEDIA

Website

https://authenticprod.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Authentic Prod is a Paris-based French independent television production company (Banijay subsidiary) producing scripted fiction — drama, crime, period, and documentary — for major French broadcasters TF1 and France Télévisions, with secondary streaming carriage on Disney+ and Canal+.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Television Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Motion Picture and Video Distribution (512120)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Format & Scripted/Unscripted Franchise Distribution (Adaptation Rights) (MPABAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Program Format Licensing (Scripted & Unscripted) (MPABANAA), Format & Remake Rights Licensing (MPADALAB)

Keywords

• Television production
• Fiction content production
• Drama series production
• Coproduction services
• Broadcast content creation

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. TV Production and Coproduction: Authentic Prod produces television series, mini-series, documentaries, and films through coproduction deals with major French broadcasters including France Télévisions and TF1. Revenue is generated through production fees, broadcast rights, and international distribution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Authentic Prod produces French-language television fiction content — including drama series, mini-series, crime dramas, documentaries, and TV movies — through coproduction deals with major French broadcasters (TF1, France 2, France 3, France 5) and international streaming platforms (Disney+, Canal+). The company creates content in formats ranging from 26-minute episodes to 90-minute TV movies and covers genres including drama, comedy, and detective/mystery. Revenue is generated through production fees, broadcast rights licensing, and international distribution sales via partners such as Banijay Rights, Newen Connect, and Federation Entertainment.

Product overview

Authentic Prod is a French television production company backed by Banijay, specializing in drama, comedy, and crime genre fiction. The company produces content across all formats (26', 52', 90', and shorts) and serves broadcasters and streaming platforms including TF1, France Télévisions, and Disney+. Key productions include the long-running series SAM (8 seasons, 2016-2025), JE TE PROMETS (adapted from 'This Is Us'), period dramas like MONTMARTRE and L'OR BLEU, crime series such as LES SECRETS DU PAQUEBOT and PJ 21, and the miniseries LE TEMPS EST ASSASSIN (adapted from Michel Bussi). The company also produces documentaries and TV movies including the Carlos Ghosn documentary and the Christmas film LE LIVREUR DE NOËL.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAM French drama series for TF1 about a rebellious but beloved schoolteacher. Adapted from the Danish series 'Rita!' created by Christian Torpe. Spans 8 seasons from 2016-2025 with viewership ranging from 4.3 to 7.2 million per episode.
• Je te promets French drama series adapted from the American hit 'This Is Us' (20th Television), created by Dan Fogelman. Follows triplet siblings through life challenges and family secrets across 3 seasons (2022-2023).
• Montmartre Historical family saga set in Paris 1900, following siblings separated by their father's mysterious murder who reunite 23 years later to uncover the truth.
• L'or bleu Summer family saga spanning three generations of women linked by blood, secrets tied to water, and a mystery spanning nearly a century.
• Les Secrets du Paquebot Crime drama investigating the murder of a journalist linked to the 1920 shipwreck of the 'Africa' (Titanic français) off Les Sables d'Olonne.
• Les Secrets du Château Regional crime drama for France 3 set during a castle's annual celebration where a murder occurs. 5.7 million viewers on first broadcast in December 2020.
• Le temps est assassin Miniseries adapted from Michel Bussi's bestselling novel, following a sole survivor investigating her family's tragic past in Corsica.
• Le Livreur de Noël Christmas TV movie for France 2 about a father on a last-minute delivery shift on Christmas Eve.
• PJ 21 Crime drama about a police unit dedicated to the 21st arrondissement of Paris investigating bodies found in the Seine River; in development.
• L'ascension et la chute de Carlos Ghosn Documentary by Gilles Cayatte about the rise and fall of Carlos Ghosn. Aired on France 5 in September 2020 with 1 million viewers.
• A la vie! Drama coproduction with TF1 and Fontana (RTBF), in post-production. Format: 2x45 minutes.

Quantifiable outcome

• SAM series achieved up to 7.2 million viewers (Season 1), consistently achieving 4-5+ million viewers across 8 seasons
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• 20th TelevisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthentic Prod adapted the American series 'This Is Us' produced by 20th Television for French audiences as 'Je te promets', a successful 3-season series on TF1.
• Dan FogelmancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreator of the original 'This Is Us' series, whose format was adapted by Authentic Prod for the French market.
• Christian TorpecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreator of the original Danish series 'RITA!' which was adapted by Authentic Prod as 'SAM' for TF1, running for 8 seasons.
• Newen ConnectcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational distribution partner handling exploitation of Je te promets and SAM in France and Switzerland.
• Federation EntertainmentmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCoproduction partner for Le temps est assassin and international distribution partner for the series.
• About Premium Content (APC)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for L'or bleu production.
• Banijay RightsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational sales agent handling distribution of Le Livreur de Noël.
• Fontana (RTBF)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBelgian coproduction partner for Les Secrets du Château and A La Vie productions.
• ZEDminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for the documentary L'ascension et la chute de Carlos Ghosn.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Haut et Court: French independent production company (part of Mediawan group) producing prestige drama and documentary content. Comparable to Authentic Prod as a similarly sized French scripted producer targeting premium slots on French broadcasters and international streamers.
• Quad Productions: Major French independent production company producing drama, comedy, and documentary for French broadcasters and international platforms. Comparable to Authentic Prod in terms of producing scripted fiction content for the same TF1 and France Télévisions client base.
• Federation Entertainment: Paris-based independent production and distribution company specializing in premium scripted series and international coproductions. Direct peer as a French fiction producer with comparable international distribution reach and coproduction model (Federation partnered with Authentic Prod on Le temps est assassin).
• Newen: Leading French scripted production and distribution group (owned by TF1 Group) producing drama, documentary, and entertainment for French broadcasters and international platforms. Directly comparable to Authentic Prod as a French fiction production house with similar broadcaster relationships and international distribution ambitions.
• About Premium Content (APC): Paris-based international distribution and coproduction company specializing in French and European scripted content. Comparable to Authentic Prod as a French scripted distribution partner (APC distributes L'Or Bleu for Authentic Prod) with similar international sales focus.
• Makever Media: French independent production company producing premium fiction including drama series and TV movies for French broadcasters. Closely comparable in scale and target clients (TF1, France Télévisions) and in format mix (52', 90' fiction).

Broad incumbents

• ITV Studios: Global production and distribution arm of ITV plc producing scripted drama and entertainment for UK and international broadcasters and streamers. Comparable to Authentic Prod in scripted drama genre, coproduction model, and global distribution ambitions, though at substantially larger scale.
• Studiocanal: Leading European production-distribution group owned by Canal+, producing and distributing premium television series and films across Europe. Comparable to Authentic Prod as a French-rooted scripted content producer and rights distributor with international reach.
• Gaumont Télévision: Major French and international producer-distributor with a large television division producing premium drama and comedy for global streamers and broadcasters. Comparable to Authentic Prod in scripted fiction genre and broadcaster client base, though at significantly larger scale and with deeper international infrastructure.

Regional players

• Beta Film: Germany-based international distribution and production company specializing in scripted series, telenovelas, and documentaries. Comparable to Authentic Prod as a European scripted content distributor/producer with international sales capabilities across multiple territories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ProdAuthentic
• Facebookfacebook.com/Auth55
• Instagraminstagram.com/authentic.prod/?hl=fr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/authentic-prod

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Authentic Prod