Endemol B.V. (stylized in all lowercase) was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted genres, including drama, reality TV, comedy, game shows, entertainment, factual and children's programming.
Endemol, a global network of operations in more than 30 countries, worked with over 300 broadcasters, digital platforms and licensees worldwide. The business covered development, production, marketing, distribution, franchise management and multi-platform initiatives including digital video, gaming and apps.
Endemol was merged with Shine Group to form Endemol Shine Group (a joint-venture between the Walt Disney Company and Apollo Global Management) and headquartered in the Netherlands in 2015. Since the merger, Endemol is an in-name-only unit of Endemol Shine Group, and in the next years, Endemol's iconic eye logo was replaced with Endemol Shine Group's wordmark-only logo in the closing credits of most of the shows that it licensed. Endemol created and ran reality, talent and game show franchises worldwide, including Big Brother, Deal or No Deal, Fear Factor, Wipeout, The Money Drop, and Your Face Sounds Familiar. The company also has a portfolio of drama and comedy series including titles such as The Fall, Peaky Blinders, Hell on Wheels, Benidorm, Ripper Street, Black Mirror, Bad Education, My Mad Fat Diary, Hot in Cleveland, Kirstie, Leverage, Home and Away, Death Comes to Pemberley and The Crimson Field.
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History
Endemol was founded in 1994 by a merger of television production companies owned by Joop van den Ende and John de Mol, the name deriving from the combination of their surnames.
On 23 June 1998, Endemol Entertainment had announced that they've entered the British market by acquiring a 50% majority stake in London-based production company Broadcast Communications from the Guardian Media Group.
Endemol has specialised in formatted programming that can be adapted for different countries around the world as well as different media platforms. One notable success has been the Big Brother reality television show, with versions in many countries after the initial Dutch version. Other examples include Deal or No Deal (sold to over 75 countries), The Money Drop (sold in over 50 countries), Fear Factor (sold in 30 countries) and Wipeout (sold in over 30 countries). From 2011 till its absorption by Endemol Shine Group, the company expanded its English language drama output with shows such as The Fall, Peaky Blinders, Ripper Street and Black Mirror in the UK and Hell on Wheels in the US. In November 2013 the company launched Endemol Beyond, an international division specialising in original content for digital video platforms such as YouTube.
In 2000, Endemol was sold to the Spanish multinational telecommunications company Telefónica for €5.5 billion. In November 2005, 25% of Endemol was taken public, and since was listed on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange under the stock symbol EML.
In late-July 2000, Endemol Entertainment announced that they've sold their international distribution arm alongside its film library to Canadian media conglomerate Canwest and had merged Endemol's distribution arm into their entertainment production subsidiary Fireworks Entertainment, in order for Endemol Entertainment to focus on their television production activities.
In August 2001, Endemol Entertainment had established its second Latinamerican production division as they joined forces with Brazilian television network TV Globo to jointly establish Endemol Entertainment's new Brazilian production division entitled Endemol Globo, marking Endmeol's second Latinoamerican production operation & the new Brazilian production unit Endemol Globo would produce Brazilian adaptations of Endemol Entertainment's entertainment programming for the Brazilian television market & would jointly develop & produce formats and programming that would be licensed for other countries while Endemol had signed a three-year volume deal with Argentinan network Telefe and Endemol Entertainment had plans to launch another Latinamerican production arm in Latin America while Endemol Entertainment had signed a six-year volume production deal with TV Globo to create entertainment programming for free and pay television in Brazil.
Global presence
Endemol has the following operations around the world:
Endemol UK
Originally known as Broadcast Communications, Endemol UK is one of the UK's longest established production groups and won its first television commissions in the mid-1980s. It produces the main Endemol franchises such as Big Brother and Deal or No Deal.
Endemol India
In January 2006, Endemol started producing programs with Mohit Raina in different channels which are in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam and Bengali from Mumbai, India. For various media company's channels were Sony Pictures Networks India, Disney Star, Sun TV Network, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Viacom 18, NDTV Imagine, Mazhavil Manorama
Endemol Australia
Endemol Australia (formerly "Endemol Southern Star") is an Australian production company which was previously a joint venture of Endemol and Southern Star Group. Endemol purchased Southern Star Group from Fairfax Media in January 2009. It produces Endemol's popular worldwide formats for Australia, including Big Brother, Deal or No Deal, and Ready Steady Cook. It is based in Australia.
Lawsuits
Endemol sued Brazilian channel SBT over what it says was a Big Brother copycat, and threatened to sue Russian Behind the Glass for the same reason.
Endemol was sued by four Georgia women alleging that a text-message game featured on Deal or No Deal is a form of illegal gambling.
Productions
Factual
Restoration - Aired 2003, 2004, 2006
Restoration Home - (2011–2013)
Late night/variety shows
Crónicas Marcianas
Games Uplate Live (2006–2009; ABS-CBN)
Live TV
Domino Day
Sitcoms
Hot in Cleveland (International distribution only)
Happily Divorced (International distribution only)
The Exes
Talk/Variety
The Steve Harvey Show
Katch It With Khanyi