London – FremantleMedia International (FMI) and Syco Entertainment announced August 27 a brand new multi-year partnership with Clouds Media International for the Kenyan version of the hit Got Talent format. The deal will see Clouds Media International’s subsidiary content firm, Status Communications, produce three series of the reality format, taking the total number of adaptations of Got Talent to an extraordinary 63 versions worldwide. The Got Talent format was created by Simon Cowell and is co-owned and produced by Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia.
The hit format recently celebrated a Guinness World Record-breaking achievement as it officially became The World’s Most Successful Reality TV Format ever. Captivating audiences around the world, the show has been adapted in 63 territories across Africa, the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle-East, Africa and the Americas. As well as the deal for Kenya’s Got Talent, the format has recently seen a new commission in Mexico (TV Azteca).
Anahita Kheder, SVP Middle East, Africa and South Eastern Europe FremantleMedia International, said, “We are thrilled to be working with Clouds Media International and Status Communications to bring Got Talent to Kenya. We are immensely proud of the brand and are delighted that there remains a huge appetite for this fantastic format.”
George Levendis, Head of International for Syco Entertainment said, “The Got Talent format goes from strength to strength and I have no doubt we are sure to see some incredible talent from Kenya and will discover some stars. Welcome to the Got Talent family, Clouds Media!”
Omari Salisbury, CEO, of Abu Dhabi based Status Communications said, “We already have very strong physical presence with offices and partners across East Africa so when the opportunity arose to team up with FremantleMedia International to deliver the world’s most successful reality show ever to Kenya we of course jumped at the opportunity as one of the key objectives of Status is to be a robust supplier of content across Africa.”
The Got Talent format has ranked as the number 1 show in the country, or on its airing network, 49 times across 56 territories since 2006. In the UK, Britain’s Got Talent is the number one entertainment show of the last decade having notched up eight hit seasons; while America’s Got Talent, the longest running local version of the format, which is currently in its ninth season and is America’s number one entertainment series of the past decade. In 2015 America’s Got Talent will celebrate its tenth season on NBC. The U.S. series currently airs in 193 countries worldwide. Got Talent has been watched by more than 720m people globally since it launched and its global reach continues to grow.
