You are viewing the archive: “John de Mol”

John De Mol Ramps Up Talpa Media USA, Taps Former Syco Exec Simon Jones As CEO

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday December 13, 2012 @ 8:00am PSTTags: John de Mol
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Dutch media entrepreneur John de Mol‘s company Talpa already has established a presence in the US with NBC’s reality hit The Voice, co-created and executive produced by de Mol. Now de Mol is taking that presence to the next level, turning Talpa Media USA into a full-fledged independent production company and hiring Simon Jones to run it. Jones joins Talpa Media USA as CEO after a six-year stint at Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment. For the last two years, Jones served as COO of Syco Television USA, overseeing all of Syco’s TV operations in the US and helping establish the company’s US operations. Jones, a 20-year TV veteran, started off in his native Britain before crossing the pond. He served as Controller of Business Affairs at ITV, Executive Producer of American Idol for FremantleMedia and SVP Operations for the The X Factor and Got Talent franchises at Syco. He also ran the successful X Factor UK arena tour and a live stage version of America’s Got Talent in Las Vegas. “At a moment like this, people are used to say that they have found the right man for the job. So sorry for the cliche, but Simon is exactly that!,” said Talpa Holding CEO Pim Schmitz. “Simon’s appointment with Talpa Media USA fits in Talpa’s strategy to have our own production companies in the key markets of the world. Other territories will follow, but of course the US is number one when it comes to that strategy.”

In addition to The Voice, Talpa Media USA’s credits include NBC’s upcoming singing game show The Winner Is… and the 2009 ABC series Dating In The Dark, all three based on worldwide Talpa formats. All three have been done as co-productions, with another company handling the actual production. While Talpa Media USA will continue to partner up with other companies when needed, it is looking to transition to producing more and more of its own shows and to grow its portfolio of broadcast and cable reality series. Talpa’s US plans are reminiscent of the way de Mol built a strong U.S. production arm of his previous global media company, Endemol. “This is a fantastic opportunity to work at such a dynamic and ambitious company headed by the – almost legendary – John de Mol,” Jones said. READ MORE »

Comments (0)

NBC Greenlights Singing Game Show From ‘The Voice’ Creator John De Mol

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday May 29, 2012 @ 12:30pm PDTTags: Big Deals TV, John de Mol, NBC
Nellie Andreeva

NBC has greenlighted The Winner Is, a singing game show from John de Mol’s Talpa Media USA, which co-produces NBC’s singing competition series The Voice. The Winner Is, which features a $1 million grand prize, combines vocal and bargaining abilities. … Read More »

Comments (10)

Endemol Chair/CEO Ynon Kreiz Steps Down Amid Financial Restructuring With Lenders

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday June 24, 2011 @ 5:06pm PDTTags: Big Brother, Cyrte Investments, Endemol, Goldman Sachs, ITV, John de Mol, Mediaset, News Corp, Time Warner

2ND UPDATE: A key insider at Endemol explains to me, “I think there were issues in the way he ran the company and the decsions he made, and he lost the support of many of the employees. Like when you have a coach of a soccer team the players don’t buy into the way he’s managing the team.” Not only unpopular, Ynon Kreiz exits as Endemol is facing a 900 million euro write-off of loans to the Dutch-based company which produces Big Brother among many other unscripted shows around the world. Endemol also said this month it’s exploring options to restructure its debt as widening losses will cause it to breach covenants on 2.8 billion euros of loans, including 325 million euros of mezzanine debt used to fund its 2007 buyout. Reports are circulating of buyout interest from ITV, Time Warner, and News Corp. “Clearly there are debt issues and we’re going through a financial restructuring. There also was unhappiness with a huge payout to Kreiz, which didn’t sit well,” the key insider tells me. “But from a standpoint of creativity and new shows and long-running franchises and diversification of the company, we’re on solid ground.”

The announcement of a shakeup at the top was made today by Endemol’s shareholder board (different from the usual board of directors) and first published by the Financial Times. The mogul’s exit follows a three-year period of massive dealmaking and restructuring by Kreiz, who has been chairman/CEO of the Dutch-based global leader in entertainment programming and the world’s largest independent television and digital production company since June 1, 2008. Kreiz follows out the door the Endemol chief commercial officer Tom Toumazis, who exited a few weeks ago. (“Believe me, I didn’t send him a fruit basket either,” an insider snarks.) But lest anyone doubt it, Endemol is still alive and well as the unscripted giant produces content and partners with more than 400 broadcasters and cross-media platforms worldwide as part of a global network of more than 80 companies in 26 countries employing about 6,500 people. Read More »

Comments (11)

NBC’s ‘The Voice’ Carries Sky High Pricetag

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday April 6, 2011 @ 4:25am PDTTags: John de Mol, Mark Burnett, NBC, The Voice, Warner Horizon Television



So I hear that NBC’s heavily hyped upcoming warble show The Voice from John de Mol, Mark Burnett, and Warner Horizon Television is costing a whopping $1.4 million per episode. Given that this is a U.S. adaptation of … Read More »

Comments 35

Christina Aguilera Tapped As Coach On NBC’s Reality Series ‘The Voice’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday March 2, 2011 @ 12:20pm PSTTags: Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, John de Mol, Mark Burnett, NBC The Voice, TV, TV Deals
Nellie Andreeva

Maybe Charlie Sheen was unavailable? NBC just announced that another celebrity who has been going through personal problems, Christina Aguilera, has been tapped as a musician coach on NBC’s new musical competition series The Voice, which will premiere on  April … Read More »

Comments (18)

NBC Sets Premiere Date For ‘The Voice’, Taps First Coaches

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday February 28, 2011 @ 11:39am PSTTags: Adam Levine, Carson Daly The Voice, Cee Lo Green, John de Mol, Mark Burnett, NBC The Voice, The Voice, TV
Nellie Andreeva

NBC’s new singing competition series The Voice, a rival to Fox’s American Idol, will premiere on Apr. 26 and will air in Idol’s previous signature Tuesday 8 PM slot. The network has signed the first 2 musician coaches for the … Read More »

Comments (8)

Carson Daly To Host NBC’s ‘The Voice’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday January 13, 2011 @ 4:52pm PSTTags: Carson Daly, Carson Daly The Voice, John de Mol, Mark Burnett, NBC Development, NBC Singing Competition Series, NBC The Voice, The Voice, TV, TV Deals, Warner Horizon Television
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: NBC’s late-night host Carson Daly is in negotiations to host NBC’s ambitious new singing competition series (and American Idol rival) The Voice, from top reality producers John de Mol (Big Brother) and Mark Burnett (Survivor) and … Read More »

Comments (11)

NBC Teams With John De Mol & Mark Burnett For Singing Reality Series

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday December 13, 2010 @ 2:13pm PSTTags: John de Mol, Mark Burnett, Reality TV, TV, TV Deals, TV Talent Competition, Warner Horizon Television
Nellie Andreeva

In its biggest challenge to Fox’s American Idol (and X Factor), NBC has ordered The Voice of America (working title), a singing competition show from leading reality producers John de Mol (Big Brother) and Mark Burnett (Survivor) and Warner Horizon Television. The show, in which contestants vie for a recording contract, is modeled after the Dutch version of the show (The Voice of Holland), which is the country’s #1 talent competition show in Holland. More from NBC’s release: Read More »

Comments (10)

Endemol Chief Creative Paul Römer Quits

By TIM ADLER in London | Monday September 27, 2010 @ 7:26am PDTTags: Big Brother, Endemol, John de Mol, TV, UK TV

I’m told that Römer has increasingly found himself a fish out of water at Endemol. Römer developed Big Brother with company founder John De Mol and, as exec producer, steered the show through its Netherlands launch and the US … Read More »

Comments (1)

Warner Bros TV Signs Dutch Format Deal

By TIM ADLER in London | Wednesday September 1, 2010 @ 8:07am PDTTags: Dating In The Dark, John de Mol, Warner Bros, Warner Bros Shed Media

Warner Bros has signed an exclusive deal with John de Mol’s Talpa Media to produce British versions of the Dutch company’s TV shows. The deal is the latest piece in the jigsaw of Warner’s plan to establish worldwide production subsidiaries … Read More »

Comments (0)

Endemol Shareholders May Be Forced To Inject Fresh Equity Before August Deadline

By TIM ADLER in London | Thursday July 15, 2010 @ 4:30am PDTTags: 101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow, Cyrte Investments, Endemol, Goldman Sachs, John de Mol, Mediaset

endemol-logoThat’s the only option open to shareholders Mediaset, Goldman Sachs and Cyrte, one media analyst tells me. Whether Mediaset owner Silvio Berlusconi or TV magnate John De Mol, the man behind Cyrte, will be happy doing so is another question. I’m … Read More »

Comments (0)

Who’s Not Bidding For UK’s Channel Five

By TIM ADLER in London | Friday July 2, 2010 @ 4:22am PDTTags: Big Brother, BSkyB, Endemol, Express Newspapers, Foreign, ITV, John de Mol, Richard Desmond, RTL, Time Warner, TV, UK Channel Five Bids, UK Terrestrial Channel Five

FiveEXCLUSIVE: The European TV producer Endemol will not be among those bidding for the UK’s fifth terrestrial channel. ITV has also walked away from the auction, as has BSkyB and Time Warner. Endemol’s founder John De Mol is bidding, as is … Read More »

Comments (1)

Newspaper Tycoon Tipped To Win Five

By TIM ADLER in London | Thursday July 1, 2010 @ 8:21am PDTTags: Cyrte Investments, Express Newspapers, Foreign, John de Mol, Richard Desmond, RTL, TV, UK Terrestrial Channel Five

FiveRichard Desmond, owner of Express Newspapers, is seen as a frontrunner to buy UK terrestrial channel Five. Other bidders include John De Mol, founder of TV producer Endemol (Big Brother), and Endemol itself, which De Mol’s investment company Cyrte Investments owns … Read More »

Comments (0)