 Final logo used from 2001 to 2016 | |
 The global headquarters of Endemol in Amsterdam | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Euronext Amsterdam: EML (2005-2007) | |
| Industry | |
| Predecessors |
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| Founded | 1994; 32 years ago (1994) |
| Founders | Joop van den Ende John de Mol |
| Defunct | 16 July 2016; 9 years ago (2016-07-16) |
| Fate | Merged withShine Group Name still in use in Portugal |
| Successor | Endemol Shine Group |
| Headquarters | , Netherlands |
Key people | Sophie Turner Laing (CEO) |
| Parent |
|
| Divisions |
|
| Subsidiaries |
|
Endemol B.V. (stylized inall 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 withShine Group to formEndemol Shine Group (a joint-venture betweenthe Walt Disney Company andApollo 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, includingBig Brother,Deal or No Deal,Fear Factor,Wipeout,The Money Drop,Family Feud, andYour Face Sounds Familiar. The company also has a portfolio of drama and comedy series including titles such asThe 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 andThe Crimson Field.
Endemol was founded in 1994 by a merger of television production companies owned byJoop van den Ende andJohn de Mol, the name deriving from the combination of their surnames.[1]
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 theGuardian 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 theBig Brotherreality television show, with versions in many countries after the initial Dutch version. Other examples includeDeal or No Deal (sold to over 75 countries),The Money Drop (sold in over 50 countries),Fear Factor (sold in 30 countries) andWipeout (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 asThe Fall,Peaky Blinders,Ripper Street andBlack Mirror in the UK andHell 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 telecom and media corporationTelefónica for €5.5billion. In November 2005, 25% of Endemol was taken public, and since was listed on theEuronext 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 conglomerateCanwest and had merged Endemol's distribution arm into their entertainment production subsidiaryFireworks Entertainment, in order for Endemol Entertainment to focus on their television production activities.[2]
On 30 September 2003, Endemol announced that they had acquired a 51% majority stake in New York-based American reality independent production company True Entertainment with the company continued to be operated and placed with Endemol's US division with the latter expanding their international operations.[3]
On 8 December 2006, Endemol announced that they would reacquire their French division Endemol France from their former parent Telefonica.[4] By 9 January 2007, the Dutch-based European entertainment company had made a deal with their former parent company Telefonica to buy back their French outfit which would become a division of the reunited Dutch-based entertainment giant.[5]
On 14 May 2007 the remaining 75% of Endemol shares were bought by a consortium, Edam Acquisition, led byMediaset, the company controlled bySilvio Berlusconi's family, and including the investment company Cyrte, in which the original co-founder John de Mol has shares.[6] The consortium announced on 6 August 2007 that it now owned 99.54% of Endemol shares, after an offer to buy the remaining shares went through on 3 August 2007; it asked the Euronext bourse for a delisting of Endemol.[7]
In December 2009, Endemol announced that their German division Endemol Germany had entered drama production by launching a joint-venture with Germany'sWiedemann & Berg Film being named Wiedemann & Berg Television with W&B Film founders Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann overseeing the management and will focus on scripted television series.[8]
It was reported in 2010 that the company was $3 billion in debt.[9] Then in 2011, it was reported that the debt had grown to $4.1 billion.[10]
On 9 August 2010, Endemol announced that they acquired a majority stake in Los Angeles-based American reality production companyAuthentic Entertainment expanding their operations in the USA.[11]
A loan restructure was planned for 2011 when Endemol was expected to breach its debt covenants.[12] On 30 June, the debt covenants were breached at the same time that CEOYnon Kreiz left the company and Endemol's UK subsidiary failed to file its annual accounts.[13] On 23 March 2012, Endemol's debt was converted into shares by US private-equity firmApollo Global Management.[14] On 3 April 2012, Mediaset sold its majority stake in Endemol to Apollo and Dutch asset manager Cyrte, and Endemol restructured the bulk of its debt. The current CEO isJust Spee.[15] On 15 May 2014, Apollo and21st Century Fox announced a joint venture to combine 21st Century Fox'sShine Group and Apollo's Endemol andCORE Media Group.[16] The deal closed October 2014.[17]
Over the years Endemol has expanded its international presence either by starting up operations in new markets or by acquiring existing production companies. Most recently, in December 2013, Endemol became a shareholder inIsrael'sChannel 2 franchiseeReshet, following the acquisition in April of a controlling share in the Israeli independent producer Kuperman, which is now Endemol Israel.[18]
On 17 December 2014, Endemol's parent company Apollo Global Management announced that they've completed their merger of Endemol with fellow Apollo subsidiaryCore Media, producer ofAmerican Idol, and 21st Century Fox's British-based entertainment production and distribution companyShine unit, with the resulting 'mega-indie' adopting the name "Endemol Shine Group", which was a 50:50 joint venture by both parent companies. The name took effect on 1 January 2015.[19][20]21st Century Fox's predecessor company,Rupert Murdoch'sNews Corporation, had in 2011 bought Shine (founder and chairperson until the 2015 merger:Murdoch's daughter Elisabeth) for $673 million.[21]
Endemol has the following operations around the world:
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 asBig Brother andDeal or No Deal.
In January 2006, Endemol started producing programs with Mohit Raina in different channels which are inHindi,Telugu,Tamil,Marathi,Kannada,Malayalam andBengali fromMumbai, India. For various media company's channels wereSony Pictures Networks India,Disney Star,Sun TV Network,Zee Entertainment Enterprises,Viacom 18,NDTV Imagine,Mazhavil Manorama
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 fromFairfax Media in January 2009.[23] It produces Endemol's popular worldwide formats for Australia, includingBig Brother,Deal or No Deal, andReady Steady Cook. It is based in Australia.
Endemol sued Brazilian channelSBT over what it says was aBig Brother copycat, and threatened to sue RussianBehind the Glass for the same reason.[24]
Endemol was sued by four Georgia women alleging that a text-message game featured onDeal or No Deal is a form of illegal gambling.[25]
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