MUMBAI: International hit Your Face Sounds Familiar leads Endemol?s line up of formats for Mipcom 2012 along with brand new series World Games, The Bodyguard and Love is in the Air, which make their international debut, alongside returning format Plan B.

Endemol?s MD of Creative Operations Iris Boelhouwer said, "Our slate for Mipcom 2012 offers a great mix of entertainment, comedy, music and reality. These are formats with significant international potential that have already won over viewers in key territories. We?re especially proud of Your Face Sounds Familiar which is fast becoming Endemol?s next big global success."

Mipcom is the world?s entertainment content market.
 
International success Your Face Sounds Familiar is a talent competition with a comedy twist. Celebrities take on a new identity as an iconic music performer and are awarded points for singing, style and believability. But the catch is they could well find themselves transformed into someone far older, younger or even of the opposite sex. Originally produced by Endemol Spain for Antena 3, Your Face Sounds Familiar has been sold to nine territories including China and Italy.

World Games sees two celebrity rivals travel the globe competing in extreme challenges set in exotic locations. From Thai-boxing blindfolded in Thailand or jumping from the world?s highest bungee tower in Macau, each task pushes the contestants mentally and physically. They must also conquer a tough new task relating to the country they?ve just visited in front of a studio audience. Created by Endemol Germany; World Games successfully launched on ProSieben earlier this year winning its primetime Saturday night slot in the target 14-49 demo.

From Endemol UK is The Bodyguard, a game show where contestants team up with their favourite celebrities and are challenged to serve and protect their famous partners. Piloted in the UK for BBC One, The Bodyguard sees the trainee minders put through their paces in a series of funny, challenging and entertaining games.

Love is in the Air - from Endemol Netherlands is a heart-felt reality series that reunites loved ones residing in far flung countries. The host flies around the world to reunite best friends, family or soul mates. Each moving story tells the tale of a close pair who miss each other terribly but haven?t been able to organise the journey themselves. The host arranges the emotional get-together before saying goodbye and leaving for the next destination and reunion.

Plan B uses social media and television to join together people who have never met before to spontaneously make music over the Internet, creating original tracks that are immediately available for download. The interactive dance music format is based on the innovative multiplatform strand within Spanish TV entertainment hit ?The Anthill?, which has generated number one dance hits week after week. Endemol has partnered with the format owner 7Yaccion to develop Plan B for the international market.

MUMBAI: Television format creator and distributor Endemol is further building its scripted business in France.

Gaumont executive Jean-Beno?t Gillig is joining Endemol France along with his scripted production operation L?onis. As part of Endemol France?s scripted division Endemol Fiction, L?onis will produce series for prime time and daytime as well as feature length TV movies. Gillig?s role will also include the development of international co-productions for Endemol Group.

Projects currently underway at L?onis include ?La M?thode? Claire, a 90 minute drama for M6, starring Mich?le Laroque, which will be presented at La Rochelle Fiction Festival, and ?L?hiver du Pr?sident?, a political one off special for Canal+.

Gilig reports to Nicolas Coppermann who was appointed Endemol France MD in June and now also becomes Endemol Fiction MD.

Virginie Calmels continues as Endemol Fiction CEO in addition to her roles as Endemol France chairman and Endemol Group COO, which she took up in May this year.

Also incorporated within Endemol Fiction is production operation Les Films de la Prod, which has already produced successful scripted programming for the French market.

Nora Melhi, former Head of Endemol Fiction, is stepping down and departing from Endemol.

Calmels said, "I am thrilled to have such a high calibre of talent with us. I am in no doubt that with Nicolas, Jean-Beno?t and the brilliant team at Endemol Fiction, we will soon reach our target of having scripted represent 20% of our business in France."

This announcement follows a sustained period of expansion in scripted programming for Endemol, with revenue growth of over 81 per cent from 2008 to 2011 including 34 per cent year on year growth in 2011. Last year Endemol?s scripted business generated over 2000 hours of programming and revenues of ?328 million, representing 24 per cent of Group revenue.

MUMBAI: UK broadcaster Channel 5 has signed a new two-year deal with Initial, an Endemol company, for exclusive rights to broadcast Big Brother until the end of 2014. Since Big Brother?s launch on Channel 5 in 2011, five million new viewers have come to the Channel 5 family.

According to the broadcaster, the launch of Celebrity Big Brother in August 2011 was the most popular commissioned show in the channel?s 15-year history. Celebrity Big Brother has averaged three million viewers during its two runs.

While ?Celebrity Big Brother? was on air (2011, 2012 series), Channel 5 was the most popular commercial channel amongst young people across the 9.-11pm slot.

The first ?classic? series of public Big Brother (September 2011) averaged 1.7 million over its 10-week run, with viewing to the 9-11pm slot increasing by 54 per cent amongst 16-34-year-olds.

In addition, during the traditional summer run of Big Brother this year, Channel 5 will also be airing a second celebrity series of 2012 following the ?classic? series. Brian Dowling will be returning to present the main live show.

Big Brother?s spin-off show ?Bit On the Side? will also be returning with host Emma Willis, who will be joined by Jamie East. TV?s most iconic voiceover artist Marcus Bentley will also be returning to report on the housemates? antics.

Internationally, 25 series of Big Brother were broadcast in 87 countries in 2011 and the format continues to be a breakout hit in the major markets including the USA, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Latin America and in Central and Eastern Europe.

Channel 5 director of programmes Jeff Ford said, ?We?re hugely excited to have secured the return of Big Brother for Channel 5 which will continue to form a key part our programming schedule. The show so far has captivated the energy and vibrancy of the channel and we are looking forward to continuing this successful relationship.?

Initial creative director Nick Samwell-Smith said, "We are delighted with the success of Big Brother on Channel 5. The show continues to thrive and I?m thrilled to be renewing our partnership with the channel for another two years."

Channel 5 head of factual entertainment Steve Gowans will oversee the new series of Big Brother. The series will continue to be filmed in its original home of Elstree Film Studios, produced by Endemol UK production arm Initial.

MUMBAI: Television format creator and distributor Endemol has closed multiple deals with Viasat across Central and Eastern Europe, ahead of the television trade event MipTV 2012.

The broadcaster has signed a two season deal for Big Brother in Bulgaria to air on the Nova channel. Big Brother has proven to be ratings hit, with its 2010 kick-off show more than doubling Nova TV?s average share in the target demo; scoring a 38.4 per cent share and almost 500.000 viewers. This will be the sixth season to launch in Bulgaria.

The game show created by Endemol UK, ‘The Money Drop‘, has been picked up for 24 new episodes to run as two series in Bulgaria, also for the Nova channel. The format has been commissioned for a second series in Estonia with a 12 episode run to air on Viasat?s TV3.

Following ‘The Money Drop?s ongoing success across the CIS, Viasat has invested in a regional production hub located in Estonia. This will be the production home of local versions of the show to air in Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and now Bulgaria.

‘The Money Drop‘ has now been sold to 15 CIS territories with 26 series airing in the region. In addition to the latest deals with Viasat, other recent commissions include returning series in Poland, Albania, Russia, Kazakstan.

Endemol has also closed a second series deal with Viasat for 16 new episodes of My Kitchen Rules in Lithuania on TV3. The show has been a success for the channel in 2011 with audience shares going up as high as 28.1 per cent in the key demo 15-49, which was 8 per cent higher than TV3?s
average.

Endemol CEO Central, Eastern European operations Marina Williams said, "These latest deals are further testament to the popularity of Endemol?s entertainment formats in the CIS. Furthermore, The Money Drop production hub will allow us to deliver the highest production value to Viasat?s viewers across the region. Closing these deals now is great timing as we prepare for MipTV 2012."

MUMBAI: Entertainment programming giant, Endemol, has announced the closure of its international sports business exactly three years after it was launched in January 2009.

Under the restructuring announced by the company on Wednesday, Endemol?s sports content will be brought in line with all other output and managed locally by its operating companies around the world.

The company will continue to pursue further growth in sports entertainment and current productions around the world.

"The reorganisation will bring Endemol?s sports content in line with all other output, coming under the direct management of the group?s operating companies around the world, at local level," the company said in a statement.

Consequence to the restructuring, Endemol Sport managing directors Gregg Oldfield and Lawrence Duffy will leave the company to pursue new ventures.

"Endemol Sport launched in January 2009 and under the management of Gregg and Lawrence has helped establish Endemol as a significant international player in sports entertainment.," the statement added.

The group?s projects around the world currently include the Dutch Premier League ?Eredivisie? channel in the Netherlands, the English Premier League channels for Abu Dhabi Media in the Middle East, The Guinness Football Challenge Pan Africa, TV7 Sport channel inKazakhstan and numerous international media partnerships with sports bodies and football clubs.

Commenting on the restructuring, Endemol Group chief financial officer Just Spee said, ?Endemol?s Sport?s output has grown to a level where we need to bring it in line with how we develop and produce all our other content internationally. This new structure will allow us to continue building our business in this genre whilst delivering the best service to our clients at a local level."

Gregg and Lawrence commented: ?We have enjoyed a fantastic 3 plus years at Endemol and created a valuable and successful sports media business from a standing start. The re-structuring makes sense and we are leaving behind major, award winning sports channels and format productions in Abu Dhabi, Kazakhstan and Africa, as well as genuinely talented sports teams within The Group. We are hugely grateful for the support of our many sports federation clients and we expect to make a further announcement about our future plans shortly.?

MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Time Warner is believed to be looking at buying television format creator and executive producer Endemol.

Reports indicate that it is bidding $1.4 billion for Endemol which makes and markets formats like ?Big Brother?.

Endemol is looking to re-organise 2.8 billion euros in debt.

However, there is also talk that Endemol might reject offers. Endemol is co-owned by Silvio Berlusconi?s Mediaset, Goldman Sachs? Capital Partners and Endemol founder John De Mol?s investment vehicle Cyrte.

Reports add that Mediaset has joined forces with Clessidra, an Italian private equity group, to buy Endemol.