News

30 June 2008

ENDEMOL OPENS NEW OPERATION IN TURKEY WITH WIPEOUT

Endemol, a global leader in entertainment, today announced the launch of a new company in Turkey along with a major new commission.

Endemol Turkey will be based in Istanbul and will be headed up by Managing Director Ansi Elagoz who takes up her new role on 1st July.

The company has already secured its first commission through broadcaster Show TV, which has snapped up Endemol's latest global blockbuster Wipeout. The format, which has now been sold to 10 countries, has just made its international debut on ABC in the USA, knocking out all the competition to grab the number one position in its timeslot with 10 million viewers. The Turkish version is due to begin production in January 2009.

Ansi comments: "I'm thrilled to be opening Endemol Turkey with such a significant commission. Endemol's shows have been pulling in big audiences here for a long time now and I'm confident that Wipeout will prove to be the latest smash hit. Turkey has a vibrant and rapidly growing TV market and I'm very excited about further establishing Endemol as a major player here."

Marco Bassetti, Chief Operating Officer at Endemol adds: "Turkey represents an exciting opportunity for Endemol and I'm delighted that we have someone of Ansi's calibre to head up our latest venture. "

Ansi's career in television has spanned more than twelve years and has most recently included overseeing all of Kanal D's output as Manager, Programming and Project Development.

Other current and forthcoming Endemol productions in Turkey include reality blockbuster Fear Factor, which is due to launch on Star TV this July and entertainment show M/F, also for Star TV, which debuted on 27th June. A line up of other shows are also in discussion and further announcements are expected in due course.

Previous Endemol successes in Turkey include Deal or no Deal for Show TV, Operation Triumph for Kanal 1, 1 vs. 100 for Cine 5, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for DTV and Strictly Dancing for Show TV.

Endemol Turkey formally opens for business on 1st July and will from now on produce all Endemol formats in the territory.