Endemol Sport Makes African Deal

LONDON: Endemol Sport has entered into a branded content agreement with Diageo in Africa to develop and produce entertainment ideas for the Guinness brand across the region.

Endemol’s sports quiz show The Guinness Football Challenge will be launched into select markets across Africa, with 20 new episodes having been commissioned. The first season of the format, jointly owned by Endemol and Guinness, debuted on Kenyan broadcaster KTN. Produced by Endemol in South Africa, the format will continue with a 10×1-hour first season for TV3 in Ghana and a 10×1-hour treatment for CRTV in Cameroon.

Endemol will take on production of the hit format Malta Guinness Street Dance for Diageo, with a 24-episode commission already in place, to be produced by Endemol South Africa. The deal includes TV production and event management for six pan-African episodes of the show, as well as a national series to be aired in Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria.

Lawrence Duffy, the managing director of Endemol Sport, said: “We are delighted to be rolling out these new series and strengthening our relationship with Diageo and the Guinness and Malta Guinness brands, across a range of platforms. This is a significant relationship and marks a further evolution in advertiser created content.”

Chris Goddard, Guinness’ marketing manager, commented: “We’re extremely excited to be working with the creative team at Endemol Sport on these formats in order to engage our African audience in a fresh and exciting way. They combine a forward-thinking approach to sports content with Endemol’s well deserved reputation for top rating, quality entertainment, which is reflective of Diageo’s brand positioning and the new ways in which we engage with our consumers.”

Sivan Pilay, the managing director of Endemol South Africa, added: “Both of these series engage the African audience with the Guinness and Malta Guinness brands in progressive new ways. These shows deliver a great mix of sport and entertainment; the kind of programming that audiences in Africa love. The team here at Endemol South Africa is excited to be working on them and proud to be partnering with a global brand of Diageo’s caliber.”