Endemol Enters Sports Business

HILVERSUM,
September 25: Endemol is launching a sports division and is appointing former
IMG executives Lawrence Duffy and Gregg Oldfield to run the new business
venture.

As joint managing
directors of Endemol Sport, Duffy and Oldfield will be responsible for building
a worldwide, multimedia sports business. This will include further leveraging
Endemol’s global infrastructure by producing and distributing a wide range of
sports content such as live events coverage as well as factual and sport
entertainment programming and magazine shows.

Endemol’s strategy for
growth will also incorporate the development and management of sports channels
across TV and digital media platforms, including joint ventures and consortium
partnerships with leading networks and sports channels, to creating inventive
marketing communication channels and interventions for brands.

This follows
the launch of the new football channel Eredivisie Live in the Netherlands, a partnership between Endemol and the
Dutch premier football league. The channel bowed on August 29, 2008, and
is distributed nationwide across cable, telecom and Internet platforms
including DTH operator Canal Digital and all IPTV service providers in the
Netherlands. Broadcasting seven days a week, Eredivisie Live features live matches, news, opinion
and commentary as well as entertainment and magazine shows. The lineup includes
leading presenters, reporters, analysts and commentators such as world famous
footballer and BBC presenter Gary Lineker.

Endemol Sport will be based in London. Duffy and
Oldfield will take up their roles on January 1, 2009 and will report to Ynon
Kreiz, Endemol’s CEO.

“This represents a
significant opportunity for Endemol,” said Kreiz. “By further exploiting our
global platform we are now aiming to become a leading international player in
sports media. Gregg and Lawrence are at the very top of their field with a
first class understanding of today’s sports business at all levels and are
absolutely the right people to lead this new venture.”

Marco Bassetti, COO of the Endemol Group added:
“This is an exciting new direction for Endemol. We’ve already had success in
this area with the recent launch of our Dutch premier league football channel, Eredivisie
Live. Endemol Sport will bring
this genre into the heart of our global business and securing Lawrence and
Gregg is a very strong first step.”

“Creating unique content across multiple platforms
is what Endemol is known for and that’s exactly what Endemol Sport’s purpose
will be,” said Duffy. “Our goal will be to innovate authoritative, credible
programming in all forms of sport on a worldwide scale. This is set to be a
major global enterprise and I’m delighted to be a part of it.”

Oldfield added: “Endemol has world class creative,
production and distribution resources and is perfectly positioned to diversify
into this field. Transposing Endemol’s entertainment DNA into the sports market
is an exciting and powerful proposition added with an innovative business approach
will enable us to become a leading player in the sports market.”

Duffy was previously VP
and head of development at IMG Sports Media, in charge of securing production
business with sports federations, brands and broadcasters. Formerly at BBC
Sport, he brings 17 years of experience developing and executing high-profile
events and productions.

Oldfield was formerly VP
of Network Ventures at IMG Media where he was responsible for creating
strategic partnerships, joint ventures and multi-media sports channels with
leading IP and media networks across Europe and Asia. He is an marketeer with
18 years experience of working with global brands and rights holders.

—Anna Carugati