Talpa Media, producers of BBC One’s The Voice, has become the latest independent producer to be bought by ITV.
The UK’s largest commercial broadcaster has built up a portfolio of international production companies over the past few years as it seeks to reduce its reliance on advertising revenue.
Talpa, which was founded by Big Brother creator John de Mol, also owns the Utopia, I Love My Country and Dating In The Dark formats and has shows airing in more than 180 countries.
The company will become part of ITV Studios which is also home to Teen Wolf producer DiGa Vision and Leftfield Entertainment Group, producers of Pawn Stars, American Restoration and Real Housewives of New Jersey.
ITV says de Mol and his senior management team “will continue to play a key role in format creation and development to maintain Talpa’s strong creative pipeline, working exclusively for Talpa alongside ITV Studios Managing Director Kevin Lygo and his team.”
It will pay £355m up front for 100% of Talpa’s shares, followed by further payments dependent on Talpa’s future performance over the next 8 years and “John de Mol’s continued commitment to the business during this time.”
Adam Crozier, Chief Executive of ITV, 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.
“This is a great opportunity for ITV to accelerate its progress in building a global content business of scale.”
John de Mol said: “Of all the potential partners for Talpa, there’s no doubt ITV is the best fit.
“When it comes to the importance of content, the strategy of both successful companies is exactly the same and for Talpa this represents a fantastic opportunity for strong further growth. It also enables me personally to concentrate and focus even more on creating new, groundbreaking content.”