After FremantleMedia, it's now Who Wants To Be a Millionaire format rights holders Endemol N.V. to set shop in India.
The company announced its first subsidiary in Asia and India will be the 23rd country that Endemol operates in.
Endemol India's office will open in Mumbai on 2 January, 2006 and will be headed by Rajesh Kamat as managing director. Kamat was previously Star India senior vice president and executive committee member.
Endemol plans to exploit its intellectual property within the Indian market in line with its international expansion strategy.
Endemol CEO Joaquim Agut Bonsfills said, "We are excited to announce the launch of Endemol India, which will play an important role in India’s vibrant entertainment industry. Our formats have already proved their quality with broadcasters and viewers around the globe and we are delighted that Indian viewers will now have the chance to watch our groundbreaking shows."
Kamat added, "I am happy to be part of the Endemol family. Endemol with its formats – Operacion Triunfo (Fame Gurukul), Night Fever (Kisme Kitna Hai Dum) and Deal Or No Deal has already developed a strong bond with Indian viewers. Having demonstrated the strength of the intellectual property, the task is now to demonstrate our production expertise by providing the Indian audiences with interesting and innovative content."
Endemol India will launch with eight full-time local staff, comprising production and creative Indian talent, in addition to freelancers from Mumbai.
While Endemol is currently in negotiations with several Indian broadcasters to produce local versions of its formats, Endemol India will open with a two-year output deal with Sony Entertainment Television (SET). The deal follows the success of Fame Gurukul and Deal Ya No Deal, which have significantly increased SET India’s market share in their respective timeslots.
SET India executive vice president and business head Tarun Katial said, "With Endemol coming to India, we are happy to cooperate with them to provide our viewers with programming, which has never been experienced or seen on Indian television. We look forward to a long and fruitful future with Endemol and their world-renowned catalogue as well as their local production expertise."
ABOUT ENDEMOL
Endemol (Euronext; EML) is a global leader in television and other audiovisual entertainment. The Company creates premium entertainment ideas and sells them to the world's leading broadcasters. Endemol then produces shows based on such ideas to high standards, creating hits with strong brand value. Subsequently, the Company exploits the value of its brands across other media and communications platforms, including, for example, mobile phones and the Internet.
Endemol, with its head office in Hilversum, the Netherlands, now has subsidiaries and joint ventures in 22 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as in Latin America, South Africa and Australia. Endemol is a publicly traded company on Eurolist by Euronext Amsterdam. For more information, please visit www.endemol.com.
