News

23 March 2009

ENDEMOL ENTERS GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH FACTUAL PRODUCER SPUN GOLD

Endemol International today announced it has secured a global distribution deal with factual and entertainment producer Spun Gold.

The deal represents the first time Endemol International has globally represented an entire third party programme slate, and covers the worldwide distribution rights to an extensive portfolio of documentaries, entertainment shows, celebrity access films and factual entertainment.
Two of these will be available internationally at Mip TV for the first time this year.

The first of these is Claire Sweeney's: My Big Fat Diet (1 x 60 minutes), which sees the former soap star embarking on an intense nutritional experiment which, in a departure from the norm, sees her analysing the effects of gaining excessive weight both physically and mentally. The show has already been a hit for ITV1 in the UK.

The second is Claire Richards: My Big Fat Wedding (1 x 60 minutes), which sees the former pop star beauty attempt to drop from a size 20 back to a size 8 as her big day looms. The programme is due to premier on BBC 3 later this year.

A significant line up of further hit shows will be made internationally available over the coming months as Endemol continues to roll out the Spun Gold slate.

Tom Toumazis, Chief Commercial Officer of Endemol Group comments: "The expansion and diversification of our distribution activities is a key part of Endemol's growth strategy and we expect this to be the first of many similar global third party deals. We're delighted to be taking on Spun Gold's portfolio. They have an exciting and wide ranging slate of factual entertainment series, intelligent, popular documentaries and entertainment shows, all of which have great international potential."

Endemol's Director of Sales Matt Creasey concluded the deal with Nick Bullen, Managing Director of Spun Gold.

Nick Bullen, comments: "I'm extremely excited to be working with a company with as much international muscle as Endemol. There is no doubt they are an organisation who can open doors throughout the world and I look forward to our relationship helping both parties to grow. To be chosen as the first production company to have its entire slate represented by Endemol is a credit to all the great programme makers we have worked with over the 5 years we have been in production."

The global deal with Spun Gold follows Endemol's acquisition of Southern Star earlier this year, which significantly expanded the group's distribution activities with the one of the largest distributors of English language television programming in the world.