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Tag: Syco Entertainment

  • Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment inks $125 mn Got Talent securitization deal

    Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment inks $125 mn Got Talent securitization deal

    Mumbai: Global media and entertainment investment bank ACF has recently advised Syco Entertainment, which resulted in Simon Cowell securitizing the “Got Talent” franchise by signing a groundbreaking $125 million deal.

    The Got Talent franchise includes America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent formats that have been commissioned in 72 territories worldwide, including in India on Sony.

    The deal will allow the company to use this war-chest to grow the business through a mixture of strategic acquisitions and organic growth projects.

    As advised by ACF and law firm Memery Crystal throughout the complex investment deal, Syco worked with their team in both the UK and US over a two-year period. The deal is the first of its kind as it includes securitization of various aspects of the Got Talent intellectual property, which comprise production margins and fees, digital income, franchise and original content sales, and sponsorship income. ACF’s innovative approach used a structure for the Got Talent format more commonly applied to the music industry’s royalty income streams.

    ACF founder & CEO Thomas Dey said, “ACF worked with Syco to formulate this financial strategy to support its plans and managed the entire process as the lead bank. Our brief was to create a structure to enable the company to maximise the full potential of its existing passive royalty income stream. ACF has created a winning formula using our extensive experience from across the media and entertainment industries. We are certain that this ground-breaking structure will be one that we will use for many media formats in the future.”

    Syco Entertainment director Ian Rosenblatt OBE said, “ACF’s certainly got talent. Their team, led by the ever-tenacious Thomas Dey, delivered on their promises and introduced the perfect partners to achieve our goals.”

  • The Greatest Dancer Commissioned by BBC One

    The Greatest Dancer Commissioned by BBC One

    MUMBAI: The BBC has commissioned Syco Entertainment and Thames (part of FremantleMedia UK) to produce a new Saturday night dance talent show, it has been announced.

    The Greatest Dancer, an 8 x 60 entertainment series will feature a host of talent from across the world of dance as they give the performances of their lives in the search for the UK’s Greatest Dancer. From ballet to jazz; hip hop to Bollywood; the show is open to anyone. Expect dramatic auditions, incredible challenges and remarkable live performances as dancers from across the nation swing, swirl and sashay onto the stage each week in the hope of being crowned the winner. 

    Controller Entertainment Commissioning for the BBC, Kate Phillips said: “With the continued success of Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC is undoubtedly the home of dance. By launching The Greatest Dancer we want to give the vast array of dance talent across the UK the chance to shine. I can’t wait to work with Syco and Thames to uncover the talent out there and let our audience critique and celebrate the nation’s unsung dance heroes.”

    Nigel Hall, Global Head of Television for Syco Entertainment, said: “The auditions for the pilot episode saw some of the most jaw dropping, heartfelt and moving auditions I’ve ever seen on a dance show. There are some spectacular moments and we are beyond thrilled to have secured this commission over fierce competition. We look forward to working with the BBC team on something just a little bit special.” 

    Thames TV, Managing Director, Amelia Brown said: “The Greatest Dancer is such an exciting project and we’re delighted to be working with the BBC to bring it to life for everyone at home. It’s a fantastic format full of warmth and heart with the pilot revealing some incredibly magical moments. It’s sure to make an unmissable Saturday night treat for the whole family to enjoy.”

    The Greatest Dancer will be executive produced by Nigel Hall, Global Head of Television, Syco Entertainment, and Amelia Brown, Managing Director, Thames TV.

    The series has been commissioned for BBC One by Charlotte Moore, Director BBC Content, and Kate Phillips, Controller Entertainment Commissioning. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Kalpna Patel-Knight.

  • Canxing-Star China’s ‘Brilliant Chinese’ co-developed with Syco rated week’s top show

    MUMBAI: Canxing – Star China vice-president of Lu Wei has announced ratings of its new original talent show Brilliant Chinese-Path to Glory. For the past two weeks, over 120 million people have watched episodes 5 and 6 of the series, earning a 4.2% market share, and this week officially ranked #1 across China. The show airs in primetime on CCTV-1 Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm CST.

    On its way to be the next major global Format hit, Brilliant Chinese – Path To Glory, is the first Chinese format ready for international distribution with co-development partner Syco, following the announcement of the collaboration in December 2016.

    “Brilliant Chinese-Path to Glory takes the talent Format to a new level. Canxing-Star China is thrilled that that our unique variety show has pushed the boundaries showcasing talent from all walks of life. Our Chinese audience can’t wait to choose the winner and we look forward to presenting the format to the rest of the world,” said Star China International Media Limited deputy general manager Iris Xia.

    The format for Brilliant Chinese-Path to Glory was developed with Syco Entertainment and Canxing/Star China, as part of a three-year development deal signed with Syco with a primary goal to co-develop large scale global entertainment formats with appeal for the Chinese-speaking world; and the potential for international distribution.

    “We are delighted with the show, more than 120 million viewers in the last two weeks cannot be wrong. Working with our friends in China has been a joy and we look forward to even greater success moving forward” said Syco Entertainment global head of television Nigel Hall.

    Brilliant Chinese – Path To Glory: This unique talent show takes ordinary members of the public and turns them into television stars. From the fishmonger to the housewife, viewers have been captivated – watching stars being created each week. Four judges representing four categories – Singing, Dance, Variety and Kids – work with their favorites to help members of the public achieve their full potential as artists. The magic happens when all four judges fall in love with an act and the path to glory is opened to the next round.

    Judges: The four category judges, each specialising in their area of expertise, are: well-known Chinese television personality, Sa Beining as the head judge. He has been a host on CCTV and involved with many television programs and specializes in the Variety category. Overseeing the Kids’ category is Zhu Dan — a well-known Chinese actress and host, appearing on leading provincial satellite channels. The Singing category will be judged by Cai Guoqing, a prestigious Chinese singer who holds the record for the most performances on CCTV1’s Spring Festival Gala. The Dance category is being judged by Huang Doudou, a Chinese professional dancer and choreographer, who won numerous domestic and International dancing competition awards.

  • Fremantlemedia & Syco partner SKAI TV for ‘The X Factor’

    Fremantlemedia & Syco partner SKAI TV for ‘The X Factor’

    MUMBAI: FremantleMedia International (FMI), Syco Entertainment and SKAI TV have joined hands to bring a new local version of the global hit entertainment format The X Factor. The local version of the format will mark the start of the channel’s brand new entertainment strand and is due to launch in spring 2016.

     

    The deal brings the total number of global commissions for this British born format to an incredible 51 territories worldwide.

     

    Talking about the new strategy, Fremantlemedia International SVP Middle East, Africa & South Eastern Europe Anahita Kheder said, “We are looking forward to collaborating with SKAI on their new push into entertainment, and even more thrilled that they chose The X Factor as one of the pivotal brands to launch this new direction of programming. The X Factor continues to inspire and entertain viewers the world over. It has proved to be a great launch pad for some of the biggest global sensations and with this new version in Greece; we are excited about adding another superstar to that list.”

     

    SKAI program director Alkistis Maragoudaki added, “SKAI is overjoyed to welcoming the ultimate global music talent show: The X Factor. Created by the leaders of entertainment, SYCO and FremantleMedia,The X Factor is one of the most favoured music television events around the globe and has paved the road for the future talents today thus rendering the show a trendsetter that promises and delivers. Our aim is to embrace this project with our high quality standards, and thus to consolidate our strategy towards the realm of entertainment.”

     

    Syco Entertainment head of international George Levendis said, “I am thrilled to see The X Factor back on Greek & Cypriot television in its new home on Skai TV. There are some exciting format developments that will ensure The X Factor is fresh and innovative to the Greek audience. The X Factor in Greece has always delivered talented, vibrant and wonderfully fun contestants. This new season on Skai TV will be no different. And, personally speaking, The X Factor has been a big part of my life for the last eight years – so seeing it back in my country is fantastic.”

  • ‘Got Talent’ continues its global domination with ‘Mongolia’s Got Talent’

    ‘Got Talent’ continues its global domination with ‘Mongolia’s Got Talent’

    MUMBAI: The international rollout of the world’s most successful TV format “Got Talent”, took another landmark step today as Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia announced the commission of Mongolia’s Got Talent by Mongol TV. The news comes after Got Talent creator Simon Cowell’s recent MIPCOM 2014 Keynote session in which he joked about Mongolia being one of the last regions in the world where Got Talent didn’t have a presence. The multi-season deal will see Mongol TV broadcast the first local version of the format in 2015.

    The Guinness World Record-breaking franchise co-produced by Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia continues its rein as the Most Successful Reality Television Format in history as it travels further around the world with the new version bringing the total number of local versions across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle-East, Africa and the Americas to 67 and the total countries in the world to air a version of the format to 193* (see map).

    As well as creating a local version of the format, Mongol TV will acquire season 8 of the ever successful Britain’s Got Talent. These deals were brokered by Haryaty Rahman, VP Sales and Distribution, Asia, FremantleMedia International. The UK version of the show continues to be the UK’s biggest entertainment show and in 2014 the Britain’s Got Talent finale on ITV exceeded 12 million viewers for 7th year in a row!

     

    Simon Cowell said “Mongolia is one of the last countries in the world to have Got Talent on air so I’m absolutely delighted Mongol TV will be making the show next year. So thank you and Congratulations Mongolia!”

    Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia added: “Got Talent has become a World Record breaking format because it combines extraordinary acts with great storytelling, capable of transcending geographic boundaries, language and culture. We’re looking forward to working with Mongol TV next year to create a local version of the show, which will – I’m sure – uncover an array of hidden talents from this part of the globe.”

    Nomin Chinbat, CEO of Mongol TV, said “When I heard Simon Cowell at MIPCOM saying that Got Talent had to be in Mongolia, I immediately decided to rise up to the challenge. Mongolians are great entertainers and this format is a great fit for Mongol TV. I now challenge Simon to join us in Ulaanbaatar in September when we launch the series!”

    Got Talent is watched by an estimated 500 million people worldwide has accumulated over 6 billion lifetime views on YouTube. In 2014, the franchise rolled out in six new markets: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Iceland, Mexico and Myanmar.

     

  • FremantleMedia sees a ground-breaking sale of formats to Asia

    FremantleMedia sees a ground-breaking sale of formats to Asia

    CANNES: FremantleMedia International (FMI) has announced that it has sold a ground-breaking 25 formats to seven different Asian markets within the last year. FMI has closed two deals every month since taking over responsibility for format sales in the territory in 2013.
     
    The breadth of formats represented by the deals range from talent shows to gameshows, dating and fashion formats. The latest deal sees the world record-breaking Got Talent franchise, which is co-owned and produced by Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia, sold to Laos broadcaster LNTV3. It was concluded by FMI’s VP international distribution & home entertainment Haryaty Rahman.
     
    Since taking over responsibility for local format sales 12 months ago, Rahman has been the architect of a range of deals that has ensured that Got Talent, Idols and The X Factor in Myanmar and Cambodia, became the first ever international talent or singing formats to have entered these markets. She has also successfully worked with broadcasters in the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan to bring Asian audiences some of the world’s best-loved titles like Hole in the Wall, Family Feud, Total Blackout, Project Runway, The Noise and Take Me Out.
     
    Rahman said, “We’re very proud to have sold the equivalent of two formats every month over the last year. It’s a ground-breaking feat and testament to the quality and desirability of FremantleMedia’s formats. It’s a huge advantage that we are based over here as it means we completely understand the requirements of local audiences and broadcasters, allowing us to match their needs with the breadth of titles we have in our catalogue to create the perfect fit.”

  • Colors takes centre stage with ‘Got Talent’

    Colors takes centre stage with ‘Got Talent’

    MUMBAI: From the time Colors’ biggest reality show, Bigg Boss ended, speculation has been if Salman Khan will return for the eighth season of the show. And when the news of Shah Rukh Khan coming on the channel broke, rumours about SRK hosting the show intensified.   

     

    However, these rumours have now been put to rest as the channel made formal announcement of its new property ‘Got Talent World Stage Live’ which will be hosted by Shah Rukh Khan.

     

    The channel is set to present a first-of-its-kind global on ground extension of the ‘Got Talent’ franchise in India. It has associated with RFS Entertainment, an entertainment company that has partnered with Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment, to bring the best of acrobats, dancers, stunt artists and many more to the country.

     

    The live event is an extension of the channel’s marquee talent show, ‘India’s Got Talent’, which is created and owned by Syco Entertainment and is co-produced by FremantleMedia India and is executed by Cineyug.

     

    A ticketed event will feature performances by 10 Indian and 10 International talents. 

     

    Colors CEO Raj Nayak asserts, “With every show, we believe we are just reinventing ourselves. As a broadcaster, the property holds immense potential for us because the discerning audience harbours great appreciation for outstanding talent.”

     

    He further adds that it took them time to put everything into place. “When we were ready with the idea, the artists were not available. So, it took two years for us to get all of them together on-board.”

     

    According to RFS Entertainment owner Ravinderjit Singh, the promising new talent across genres proving their mettle on every platform makes India the perfect backdrop for a showcase of this magnitude. He believes it will be a delight for Indian audiences when the caliber of national and international talent will join hands.

     

    Talking about advertisers’ traction, Nayak says it is at a pre mature level. “We have just made an announcement on this. But I am never worried about advertisers,” he laughs.

     

    The tickets for the event will go on sale next week on www.bookmyshow.com which will be held at Mumbai’s Andheri Sports Complex on 6 December 2014. The channel will air it later for which the date hasn’t been finalised yet.

     

  • The X Factor continues to hit the high notes across the Globe

    The X Factor continues to hit the high notes across the Globe

    MUMBAI: The ultimate singing competition, The X Factor continues its global success with a host of re-commissions across Central Eastern Europe. FremantleMedia and Romanianbroadcaster Antena 1 today announced anoutstanding three year dealthat will see the Syco Entertainment owned format,The X Factor, produced for a further three seasons. STB (Ukraine), TV Klan (Albania) and Eurasia 1 (Kazakhstan) willalso launch new seasons of the show, giving even more opportunities for aspiring singersfrom across the world to step in to the spotlight.

    The format has proved a huge success in Romania, with the first three seasons of the show having grown year on year. The third season attracted an impressiveaudience of1.5million viewers, outperforming the broadcaster average by 80% and achieving audience shares of 130% higher than the broadcaster average amongst adults 18-49.

    STB(Ukraine)has also signed the show for a fifth run after the previous season became the country’ssecond highest rated entertainment show in 2013.Building on series on series growth, TV Klan (Albania) willpremier their fourth season whilstEurasia 1 (Kazakhstan)will alsolaunchtheir fifth and sixth seasons.

    Daniela Matei, CEO Nordics, Central Eastern Europe & Balkans said:“The magic of The X Factor continues to spread across the world.The new renewals further strengthen the brand’s position as one of the leading entertainment formats in the world.”

    Over 350m viewers have watched The X Factor format across the globe since its launch in 2004. The global hit entertainment format continues to enjoy massive success in 48 territories with an outstanding list of top ratings, chart success and online/social buzz.

     

  • Guinness World Records announces ‘Got Talent’ as ‘The world’s most successful reality TV format’

    Guinness World Records announces ‘Got Talent’ as ‘The world’s most successful reality TV format’

    MUMBAI: Got Talentis through to the record books having been commissioned in an impressive 58 territories worldwide. The entertainment show now holds the official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Most Successful Reality TV Format worldwide. Continuing to create a globalbuzz,Got Talent, co-owned by FremantleMedia and Syco Entertainment, has continued to outperform itself by nowmaking history.

    An international ratings phenomenon, Got Talent is leaps and bounds ahead of other reality titles having been adapted in the highest number of territories worldwide. Captivating audiences around the world, the show hasversions across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle-East, Africa and the Americas. Most recently,the format has launched in Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan 1), Brazil (Rede Record), Moldova (Channel Prime TV) and Iceland (Channel 2). In total, 59 versionsof Got Talentare broadcast in 58 countries (with two versions in Belgium*).

    Simon Cowell said, “I am very proud that Got Talent is a home grown British show. We owe its success to a group of very talented producers all over the world who have made this happen. And of course amazing talent.”

    Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia said: “We are immensely proud of the ever successfulGot Talent and are delighted to add aprestigious GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS titleto its list of achievements. Got Talenthas becomea global phenomenonthat has transcended cultures and excited audiences from all corners of the globe. We look forward to working withSycoEntertainment in continuing to make this brand an absolute triumph.”
    Alistair Richards, President of Guinness World Records, said, “We are delighted to confirm that Got Talent has broken the previous world record and is now the official Guinness World Record holder for the Most successful reality television format, a landmark moment in television record breaking history, congratulations!”

    Got Talenthas seen a spectacular array of talent from the across the world, the range of acts includeSusan Boyle from Britain’s Got Talent,who has gone on to sell over 20 million records worldwide; singer Jackie Evancho from America’s Got Talent;nine-year-old singer Amira Willighagen forHolland’s Got Talent, who’s winning performance of Puccini’s ‘NessunDorma’ and received more than 50% of the television viewers’ votes; SIMA, a Syrian dancing troupe for Arabs Got Talent;circus artist,Simon HeulleforGot Talent France;TetianaGalitsyna, an artist who used painting with sand to tell a story for Poland’s Got Talent; the dazzling dancers, Carolina and Felipe Llanos Almonacid for Got Talent Chile; and joint winners Alexander Magali an acrobatic sword swallower and Nikita Izmailov, a contact juggler, crystal ball dancer and illusionistfor Russia’s Got Talent.Britain’s Got Talent’s first winner, singing sensation Paul Potts, initial audition has had over 121 million views on YouTube and his story was made into a major motion picture, One Chance, by Syco Entertainment and The Weinstein Company, starring James Corden as Potts.  

    Britain’s Got Talent, the UK’s number one entertainment show of the last decade, has notched up eight hit seasons, while America’s Got Talent, the longest running local version of the format,is in its ninth season, with the last series attracting peak audiences of more than 11 million viewers, the series has maintained the position of the #1 summer reality show in the US for eight years.

    Please find images of Got Talent winners from around the world in the below link:https://fmebrandmanagement.box.com/s/3na0x80maqwjvyk594q7

    Please visit the global Got Talent YouTube channel – http://www.youtube.com/user/gottalentglobal

     

  • YouTube presents new talent search platform

    YouTube presents new talent search platform

    MUMBAI: YouTube and Syco Entertainment announced the launch of a new worldwide entertainment concept named The You Generation. The concept is to provide a new internet talent search platform on YouTube.

    It is the first global audition process, giving people the chance to show off their skills and win prizes – simply by uploading a video. It will go live next month.

    The participants can be from across disciplines as diverse as singers, chefs, make-up artists and presenters. The You Generation runs over 52 weeks, across 26 countries and 15 languages. The platform is presented in partnership with Skype.