Endemol Shine Inks Co-Development Deal with Youku

Endemol Shine Group has entered into a co-development partnership with Chinese VOD service Youku to create and produce two new original series for China this year.

Under the agreement, the two companies will co-create big-budget, high-quality non-scripted shows. Endemol Shine will assist with development, pilot and production consultancy, distribution and tech support, while Youku will provide audience feedback data analysis throughout the development process.

Nicola Bamford, the CEO of international operations at Endemol Shine Group, said: “This is a great opportunity to partner with Youku to create original, authentic stories that will resonate in China, and have the potential to reach global audiences through Endemol Shine Group’s international network and distribution.”

William Tan, the managing director of Endemol Shine China, noted: “At Endemol Shine China, we have very skilled talent developing new and original content, and our co-developments allow us to create locally relevant and engaging shows for audiences in China. The additional support from Endemol Shine Group’s creative talent and network resources is critical in enabling us to supercharge our content and export our shows around the world.”

Weidong Yang, the president of Youku at Alibaba Digital Media and Entertainment Group, added: “Gone are the days when digital entertainment shows rely on imitating traditional linear channel shows. Digital entertainment shows will be the new engines of industry creativity.”