Wme has signed John de Mol's Talpa Media, the production company behind such global unscripted formats as The Voice, Utopia, I Love My Country, and Dating In The Dark. In total, Talpa has created over 100 shows programmed in 180 countries. Last year Talpa was acquired by ITV Studios for $530 million in cash in a deal that could be worth as much as $1.2 billion. While Talpa has collaborated with talent agencies on packaging specific projects, Wme is the first agency to…...
- 1/26/2016
- Deadline TV
Former Dancing With The Stars executive producer Conrad Green is continuing his relationship with Fox, signing a one-year overall deal with the network. Under the pact, Green will develop original formats and executive produce unscripted series. Green served as executive producer/showrunner on Dancing for 18 seasons before leaving in April 2014 for Fox where he signed to executive produce and run Utopia. The social experiment reality series had a brief run last…...
- 9/24/2015
- Deadline TV
ITV has agreed to buy the creator of The Voice for €500 million (approximately £355 million).
The broadcaster will acquire all of Talpa Media, established by Big Brother creator John de Mol, for this initial cash sum, with further payments up to a total maximum consideration of €1.1 billion depending on future performance.
The future payments will rest on the delivery of "significant profit growth over an eight-year period", as well as de Mol's continued commitment to the business over the same period.
Chief Executive of ITV Adam Crozier said: "Great content is at the heart of ITV's growth strategy and the acquisition of Talpa builds on the success of our international content business and is absolutely in line with our desire to create and own formats that travel.
"John de Mol and his team have an incredible track record of doing that consistently over many years and I'm delighted to welcome them to the ITV family.
The broadcaster will acquire all of Talpa Media, established by Big Brother creator John de Mol, for this initial cash sum, with further payments up to a total maximum consideration of €1.1 billion depending on future performance.
The future payments will rest on the delivery of "significant profit growth over an eight-year period", as well as de Mol's continued commitment to the business over the same period.
Chief Executive of ITV Adam Crozier said: "Great content is at the heart of ITV's growth strategy and the acquisition of Talpa builds on the success of our international content business and is absolutely in line with our desire to create and own formats that travel.
"John de Mol and his team have an incredible track record of doing that consistently over many years and I'm delighted to welcome them to the ITV family.
- 3/12/2015
- Digital Spy
ITV has closed a deal to acquire 100% of Talpa Media B.V., the Netherlands-based production company behind reality shows The Voice, The Voice Kids, Utopia, I Love My Country and Dating In The Dark for $530 million in cash. That is considered an initial payment to Talpa owner, Big Brother creator John de Mol. The final price could go up to $1.17 billion contingent on Talpa hitting profit growth targets over the next eight years as well as de Mol staying on board for that…...
- 3/12/2015
- Deadline TV
ITV is reportedly closing in on a deal to buy John De Mol's production group Talpa Media. Broadcast first reported the news. ITV is believed to be at an advanced stage of negotiations to acquire the company, which was the creator of hit format The Voice. Talpa has fared less well the with pricey reality format Utopia, which U.S. network Fox cancelled last year after two months. Big Brother creator De Mol put Talpa up for sale last year. An agreement could close within…...
- 2/27/2015
- Deadline TV
"Utopia" has been cancelled by Fox. The show didn't succeed as either a television show or an experiment in creating a new society, though it did many things well. One of its best features was its Santa Clarita set, in which the network invested substantial resources. Although the exact cost isn't clear, the number $50 million has most often been reported and repeated. It is clear that it came at a significant price. This summer, executive producer Conrad Green, who left "Dancing with the Stars" to produce "Utopia," told me "it's an expensive show to make, undoubtedly." Referring to the beautiful five-acre set, he said, "That don't come cheap." However, he said that "those costs amortize very quickly." Of course, the original plan was for the show to last at least one year, so now the set stands empty. Say what you will about "Utopia," the space and the way it...
- 11/4/2014
- by Andy Dehnart
- Hitfix
Utopia, the Fox reality TV series that challenged participants to build a new society together, has been canceled.
'Utopia' Canceled
Fox decided to pull the plug on Utopia a month after cutting its weekly episode count. The cancelation, two months into the series, is effective immediately, reported Deadline. The livestream was shut off on Sunday as well. As for the participants who'd signed up to spend a year filming Utopia, they've been notified that their efforts would be cut short and that they'd soon be returning home.
Initially, Fox planned on airing two episodes of Utopia a week – Tuesdays and Fridays – for the first six weeks of the show. However, poor ratings forced the network to air only one episode a week. This past Friday's episode yielded only a 0.5 rating in the 18-49 age bracket and a paltry 1.5 million viewers.
Before Fox announced that it would be axing the ambitious reality TV series,...
'Utopia' Canceled
Fox decided to pull the plug on Utopia a month after cutting its weekly episode count. The cancelation, two months into the series, is effective immediately, reported Deadline. The livestream was shut off on Sunday as well. As for the participants who'd signed up to spend a year filming Utopia, they've been notified that their efforts would be cut short and that they'd soon be returning home.
Initially, Fox planned on airing two episodes of Utopia a week – Tuesdays and Fridays – for the first six weeks of the show. However, poor ratings forced the network to air only one episode a week. This past Friday's episode yielded only a 0.5 rating in the 18-49 age bracket and a paltry 1.5 million viewers.
Before Fox announced that it would be axing the ambitious reality TV series,...
- 11/3/2014
- Uinterview
“Utopia's” failure may have been foretold even before anyone in the United States saw a second of the show. A provocative idea that fell apart in the execution, Fox canceled the series on Sunday after two months of consistently low ratings. From day one, the show suffered from internal bickering at the network's highest levels and a heavy-handed execution by producers and Fox's new alternative chief Simon Andreae. Andreae bought the Dutch format in January from producer John de Mol's Talpa Media, which is also behind such ambitious hits as “Big Brother” and “The Voice.” Fox's alternative programming chief made the bold.
- 11/3/2014
- by Jethro Nededog
- The Wrap
The inevitable axe has finally fallen for Fox's "Utopia." Fox confirmed on Sunday (November 2) afternoon that the ambitious year-round reality series "Utopia" has been cancelled effective immediately. Starting next Friday (November 7), "MasterChef Junior" repeats will air in the Friday 8 p.m. hour. Those will be encores of the "MasterChef Junior" original episodes that will premiere this week, already taking a time slot slated for "Utopia." And sorry to the live-feed fans as well. "Utopia" feeds will conclude on Sunday. Fox gave a full-year order to "Utopia," which was adapted from the Dutch format by John de Mol. The network initially slated "Utopia" for Tuesdays at 8, with six weeks of Friday airings to help cement the world-building show's place with viewers. Instead, "Utopia" premiered with only 4.6 million viewers against weak summer competition, fell under 2.5 million viewers in its first Friday episode and, after its September 16 episode, it never rose above 2 million viewers for its last 8 airings,...
- 11/2/2014
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
John de Mol's Talpa Media, producer of The Voice and Utopia, has acquired just less than half of German production company Schwartzkopff TV, the group that produces the German version of The Voice. The deal, which still has to pass muster with local competition authorities, will see Schwartzkopff renamed Talpa Germany. German media group Axel Springer will continue to own the other 51.1 percent of the Hamburg-based company. Read more Buyers Circle 'The Voice' Producer Talpa Media Schwartzkopff has been Talpa's exclusive production partner in German since 2010. In addition to The Voice and spin-off show The
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- 10/13/2014
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Talpa, the Netherlands-based reality TV group behind The Voice and Utopia, has signed a deal with Chinese online giant Tencent to develop non-scripted formats for the Chinese market. The deal will see John de Mol-controlled Talpa develop reality shows for Tencent’s online video platform Tencent Video, China’s second-largest video platform in terms of monthly views. The first production is set to launch in 2015. Talpa has already had some success in China with the local language version of The Voice being a huge ratings hit. Read more Miptv: Talpa's 'Utopia' Gets Turkish Version "Over the years
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- 9/25/2014
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dutch media mogul John de Mol has put his production group Talpa Media on the auction block, with several major international media companies believed to be looking at the reality TV giant behind The Voice and Utopia. Among the companies mentioned as possible candidates to look at a Talpa buyout are 21st Century Fox's Shine Group, which previously held talks with the firm, and Rtl Group's FremantleMedia, the producer of The X Factor. Talpa confirmed it had appointed Bank of America Merrill Lynch to advise the company on a possible sell off after being approached by a number of possible
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- 9/18/2014
- by Scott Roxborough, Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fox's reality gamble Utopia premiered Sunday night, and although the show was billed as an ambitious experiment that could comment on the way our current society has failed, the first episode felt like the trashy train wreck that is so many other reality shows.
6 reasons Fox's Utopia could be amazing (or a total disaster)
The format, created by Big Brother mastermind John De Mol and already a huge international hit, puts 15 pioneers into a bucolic Eden (or, you know, five acres with a huge barn, a shed, a pond and a waterfall!) and tasks them with creating a new society. But after watching the premiere, is this new society a place anyone would want to live?...
Read More >...
6 reasons Fox's Utopia could be amazing (or a total disaster)
The format, created by Big Brother mastermind John De Mol and already a huge international hit, puts 15 pioneers into a bucolic Eden (or, you know, five acres with a huge barn, a shed, a pond and a waterfall!) and tasks them with creating a new society. But after watching the premiere, is this new society a place anyone would want to live?...
Read More >...
- 9/8/2014
- by Adam Bryant
- TVGuide - Breaking News
It's safe to say that everyone involved with Fox's new reality series Utopia knows it's a huge risk.
The ambitious project, which kicks off a three-night premiere on Sunday at 8/7c on Fox, places 15 "pioneers" in an isolated setting with only the barest of essentials and tasks them with building a new society. And there will be no shortage of drama: In just the first few days of production, which have been live-streamed, there have already been physical altercations, an expulsion, an emergency trip to the hospital, and a splinter group setting up their own community within the larger group.
Meet the cast of Fox's reality experiment Utopia
"It's been a more eventful first week than I ever would have imagined, to be honest," executive producer Conrad Green tells TVGuide.com....
Read More >...
The ambitious project, which kicks off a three-night premiere on Sunday at 8/7c on Fox, places 15 "pioneers" in an isolated setting with only the barest of essentials and tasks them with building a new society. And there will be no shortage of drama: In just the first few days of production, which have been live-streamed, there have already been physical altercations, an expulsion, an emergency trip to the hospital, and a splinter group setting up their own community within the larger group.
Meet the cast of Fox's reality experiment Utopia
"It's been a more eventful first week than I ever would have imagined, to be honest," executive producer Conrad Green tells TVGuide.com....
Read More >...
- 9/6/2014
- by Adam Bryant
- TVGuide - Breaking News
As reality TV approaches its 15th year of post-Real World maturity, the genre has a wide range of programs, from the stupid and scripted to the artful and insightful. Amid the clutter--this fall will see many new and returning reality TV shows on cable and broadcast--there are many highlights. Here are six things worth watching. Survivor and Amazing Race swap players and twists "Survivor" (Sept. 24) is on a streak: there's been season after season of solid, unpredictable game play along with a continued commitment to high-quality storytelling and production. Executive producer and host Jeff Probst, and the network, will try to keep that streak going by returning to last fall's Blood vs. Water format, which worked well, and by ditching the mostly loathed Redemption Island and replacing it with Exile Island. But they've also made some questionable casting decisions. John Rocker, the former baseball player best known for his bigoted ranting,...
- 9/2/2014
- by Andy Dehnart
- Hitfix
This fall, Fox's new experimental reality Utopia will drop 15 strangers in a remote location for a year, with limited supplies and no backgrounds, and task them with creating a society from scratch.
Based on the hit Dutch show, the American adaptation comes from creator John de Mol, who will executive-produce along with David Tibballs, Conrad Green (who left Dancing with the Stars to join the show) and Jon Kroll(The Amazing Race).
Add Utopia and other new fall shows to your Watchlist
The Season 1 cast includes a lawyer, a preacher, a pregnant lady (who's keeping it a secret) and an ex-con. What could possibly go awry with this crew?!
Read More >...
Based on the hit Dutch show, the American adaptation comes from creator John de Mol, who will executive-produce along with David Tibballs, Conrad Green (who left Dancing with the Stars to join the show) and Jon Kroll(The Amazing Race).
Add Utopia and other new fall shows to your Watchlist
The Season 1 cast includes a lawyer, a preacher, a pregnant lady (who's keeping it a secret) and an ex-con. What could possibly go awry with this crew?!
Read More >...
- 8/20/2014
- by Liz Raftery
- TVGuide - Breaking News
The run-up to Fox's “Utopia” has not been perfect, but it's getting to where the network wants it to be, executive producers Conrad Green and Simon Andreae told reporters Sunday at Fox's Television Critics Association panel. The reality show is late in its casting process, having whittled “potential pioneers” down from 5,000 applicants to 30 or 40 currently. Eventually, that number will hit the final 15. At the press tour, four possible cast members spoke about their reasons to want to leave society behind for a full-year's commitment — a requirement of the show. Two couldn't-be-more-opposite types, long-bearded former marine and...
- 7/20/2014
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Fox’s upcoming reality series Utopia remains a bit of a mystery, but at least one mission statement has now been made clear: It aims to prove that “a Christian jarhead can get along with a liberal, leftist lesbian.”
Related Utopia Preview: Who Belongs in Fox’s Brave New (Reality) World?
“We don’t know where this is going to end,” executive producer Conrad Green admitted Sunday during the Television Critics Association summer press tour. “We hope that when 15 people eventually go into the compound of Utopia, we’ll develop something genuinely interesting. It’s not a game show, it...
Related Utopia Preview: Who Belongs in Fox’s Brave New (Reality) World?
“We don’t know where this is going to end,” executive producer Conrad Green admitted Sunday during the Television Critics Association summer press tour. “We hope that when 15 people eventually go into the compound of Utopia, we’ll develop something genuinely interesting. It’s not a game show, it...
- 7/20/2014
- TVLine.com
Talpa Media Group has hired Jay Bienstock as the CEO of Talpa Media USA, John de Mol, Talpa Media Group owner and Pim Schmitz, Talpa Media Group CEO announced on Thursday. As Talpa Media USA's new CEO, Bienstock will oversee Talpa's current slate of programming (including NBC's “The Voice” and Fox's upcoming “Utopia”), focus on new development, and will be responsible for growing the company by implementing creative strategies to help generate new revenue streams. Also read: ‘The Voice’ Ep Stijn Bakkers Mulling Exit From John de Mol's Talpa Media USA (Exclusive) “We have been looking for a talented creative executive but also.
- 7/17/2014
- by Jethro Nededog
- The Wrap
Party girl or police officer? God-fearing or godless?
These are just a few of the casting questions being considered by the producers of Fox’s upcoming reality “experiment” Utopia (premiering Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8/7c) — and we’ve got an exclusive first look video featuring some of the show’s potential “pioneers.”
Related Fox’s Fall Premiere Plan Includes Family Guy/Simpsons Crossover, 3-Part Utopia Launch, Late Mulaney Start
Utopia, from reality producer John de Mol, is being described by Fox as “a groundbreaking social experiment” that will drop 15 Americans into an undeveloped location to create their own civilization; it’s...
These are just a few of the casting questions being considered by the producers of Fox’s upcoming reality “experiment” Utopia (premiering Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8/7c) — and we’ve got an exclusive first look video featuring some of the show’s potential “pioneers.”
Related Fox’s Fall Premiere Plan Includes Family Guy/Simpsons Crossover, 3-Part Utopia Launch, Late Mulaney Start
Utopia, from reality producer John de Mol, is being described by Fox as “a groundbreaking social experiment” that will drop 15 Americans into an undeveloped location to create their own civilization; it’s...
- 7/15/2014
- TVLine.com
When Ryan Seacrest kicks off the upfronts by welcoming Pitbull to the stage with his entourage of booty-dancers, you know that Fox isn’t catering to your mom. (Unless your mom is one of Pitbull’s booty-dancers, in which case, lucky you!) So it’s no surprise that Kevin Reilly, Fox’s chairman of entertainment, followed Pitbull’s performance with the announcement that Fox is branding itself as “America’s Next Generation Network,” focusing on a youthful audience. That might also explain why Andy Samberg was there, making some decent quips for the benefit of his fellow Next Generation Americans — and a few self-aware advertisers,...
- 5/13/2014
- by Melissa Maerz
- EW - Inside TV
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