Producer Profile: Endemol (The Netherlands)

April 1, 2007 by Brendan Christie

Endemol

Hilversum

www.endemol.com

If you check the deed to your house, there’s a fair to middling chance that Endemol owns it, which really shouldn’t be all that surprising. They seem to own much of the rest of the world.

From a host of local prodcos crafting films that will work at home and abroad (note True Entertainment in the US, Brighter Pictures and Cheetah Television in the UK as only three examples), to world-proven formats that almost guarantee ratings (Big Brother, Deal or No Deal, or Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), it’s not surprising that Endemol remains one of the global powerhouses in factual television.

The UK version of Big Brother was the center of some controversy this year, with Celebrity Big Brother contestant and Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty claiming she was a victim of racism. The goings-on in the household, noted the BBC News, resulted in 19,300 complaints forwarded to British broadcasting watchdog Ofcom. That number of protests underlines what one reader said about the show: ‘I just don’t think you can ignore the biggest phenomena in factual programming. It has re-invented how we observe, judge and celebrate humanity.’

Recent titles: Big Brother, Deal or No Deal, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Employees: 5,481

Hours this year: Not published

Upcoming includes: Set for Life (ABC US, ITV), Exposed (MTV US/Latin America), Gay Straight Or Taken (Lifetime US, Five Life UK), Diet Club (Canal 13 Chile), Singing with the Enemy