Endemol plans to generate new concepts out of India

Endemol, the Netherlands based television software company, which has a long list of successful format shows such as ‘Big Brother’, ‘Fear Factor’, ‘Fame Academy’ and ‘Deal or No Deal’ to its credit, is now planning to generate content out of India.

The production company, which recently started its first operations in Asia in India, has signed a deal with STAR India to produce the second season of STAR One’s ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’.

Peter Bazalgette, chief creative officer, Endemol, says, “‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’ is a great idea and we are open to taking this concept to other countries, provided STAR India agrees.”

Bazalgette adds, “One of our objectives in starting the Indian operations was to generate new ideas and concepts out of India, which we can take to other markets in which we are present.”

The company is also banking hugely on revenues through production in India besides the licensing fee, which it has been getting till date from shows such as ‘Deal Ya No Deal’, ‘Fear Factor’ and ‘Fame Gurukul’. Globally, 80 per cent of Endemol’s revenue comes from production and the remaining 20 per cent from licensing its brands.”

The company is quite positive about its future in India. When asked how it can be so sure about its success in India, when, except for ‘KBC’, ‘Indian Idol’ and now ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge’, the number of successful reality shows in India is very few, Rajesh Kamat, managing director, Endemol India, says, “The number of successful format shows might be few, but over the years, the entire genre of non-scripted shows has grown.”

Bazalgette adds, “We are not at all scared of failure. To be creatively excellent, one needs to experiment continuously.”

Even so, Endemol is not banking solely on format shows. It also plans to produce fiction for Indian channels.

Bazalgette says, “The idea behind starting the Indian operations is to understand the local nuances and taste, which will help us produce localised versions of successful international fiction shows.”

Indian broadcasters certainly cannot ignore the success of international fiction shows such as ‘Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin’ and ‘Millee’.

However, Bazalgette also emphasises that it will be the non-scripted shows that will drive the growth of Endemol in India to begin with. He says, “Initially, a big format show might prove to be expensive, but if it runs for a long time, the cost per episode proves to be reasonable.”

Currently, the company is looking forward to working with the leading general entertainment channels, but it is also open to producing shows for special interest channels, which it feels will complete its portfolio.

Regarding payments from the broadcasters, the company has kept its options open, be it a one-time fee for the licence and the production or a variable amount depending on the television ratings.

The production company is also hoping to produce exclusive content for mobile operators as and when 3G technology picks up.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!