Shanghai Media Group and Endemol form international strategic partnership

Under the agreement, Endemol Asia and Entertainment Team Media Group (ET), a flagship company of SMG, will establish a joint creative team that will be responsible for developing new programmes and formats for production and broadcast in China as well as distribution, local adaptation and exploitation internationally.

Endemol will have exclusive distribution and format rights outside of China for new IP developed by the partnership and SMG and ET will have equivalent rights in China.

ET and Endemol Asia will also work together in localising formats from Endemol’s global portfolio and adapting them for the Chinese market.

Yang Wenhong, Vice President of SMG and CEO of ET said that Endemol’s "exceptional track record and expertise in creating ideas that work in any territory" made them an ideal partner.

Arjen van Mierlo, CEO of Asian operations at Endemol, added that the move represented a significant step forward in the company's Asia growth strategy.

SMG is China’s second largest broadcaster with one of the most complete portfolios of media and related businesses in China. It has 15 free TV channels, 35 digital pay TV channels, 11 radio frequencies, 8 newspapers and magazines, IPTV, video portal, connect TV and mobile phone TV.

ET is a cross-media entertainment platform supplying content of entertainment, fashion, films and series, as well as purchasing, advertisement-operating, copyright-operating, music industry, data marketing, artists management and other entertainment business.

Endemol was founded in 1994 in Holland, its notable international success in TV programme production include Big Brother reality TV show, Deal or No Deal, Fear Factor, Ready Steady Cook, among others.

Last October, Li Ruigang, president of SMG, joined the WPP board as a non-executive director.