UK: Endemol moves into app publishing

The new development team will support the company’s growing worldwide business in this area, giving Endemol’s operations around the world access to in-house resources and technical expertise to develop apps and games around the company’s global entertainment brands.

The team will be led by former Joe Pietroni, Director of Digital Production Gaming, who has been appointed to the new role of Director of Technical Development, Apps and Games, and will report to Endemol’s Executive Director Commercial Affairs, Branco Scherer. Pietroni’s expertise includes developing games and apps around entertainment brands such as Deal or No Deal, Who Wants To be a Millionaire, Big Brother and Your Face Sounds Familiar.

Endemol’s expanding business in this area will continue to be driven by its local operations around the world. Current successes include the worldwide partnership with The Rolling Stones for the band’s first official fan app; The Million Pound Drop app in the UK which has had over 2.5 million downloads to date, a range of official apps for entertainment hits in European markets and the US and a multitude of games around the world for the company’s global brands including Big Brother, Deal or No Deal, Wipeout and The Money Drop.

Most recently Endemol has announced plans in the region to build an extensive network of apps around existing TV brands and all new-games, starting with the launch later this month of new gaming apps based on hit shows Pointless and Deal or No Deal.

Scherer commented: ‘In a world where audiences and fans are increasingly using smartphones and tablets to engage and interact with our entertainment brands, this Technical Development Team for Apps & Games will be an enormously valuable internal resource to support our operations worldwide’.

The announcement follows the reorganisation of Endemol’s commercial business earlier in 2013, which has more closely aligned the company’s commercial and creative activities.  This included the formation of a new Group Commercial Board, chaired by Lucas Church, CEO, Endemol UK, and comprising senior executives from around the world.