Endemol Shine Group announced that reality juggernaut Big Brother will air in Turkey for the first time.
Endemol Shine Turkey will produce the first ever local version of the global smash hit, debuting on Star TV later this year. Big Brother Türkiye will be filmed over 15 weeks, to broadcast in a one hour prime time spot five days a week, along with a three hour eviction show at the weekend.
“Big Brother is the original reality format and we’re thrilled that Endemol Shine Turkey will be using their expertise to bring this global phenomenon to Star TV,” said Marina Williams, CEO of Central and Eastern Europe and MENA Regions at Endemol Shine Group. “This latest commission is testament to the ongoing success of Big Brother across the region and we’re extremely pleased to announce the deal as we head to NAPTE Europe in Prague.”
Elsewhere in the region, Big Brother is set to return to Bulgaria this fall on Nova TV. This follows the recent news that the format will soon be returning to five Balkan territories including Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro. Production will be filmed over 100 days at the regional hub in Serbia and will air simultaneously in each market, launching later this year.
Across 2014, 25 series of Big Brother aired in more than 70 countries. The reality blockbuster launched in the Netherlands more than 16 years ago and continues to be a hit in the USA, UK, Italy, Spain, Canada and Israel as well as in Latin America, Scandinavia, Africa and Asia.
Istanbul based Endemol Shine Turkey is behind a range of prime time successes including smash hit drama Broken Pieces for Star TV which has been distributed worldwide by Global Agency and now sold to over 20 countries and counting. Other credits include The People’s Choice, a live multiplatform game show which recently launched on ATV and entertainment series Deal or No Deal, Your Face Sounds Familiar and others.
Marina Williams and her production teams in Poland, Middle East and North Africa, Russia and Turkey as well as format distribution team based out of London regionally represent Endemol Shine Group’s newly combined catalogue of formats.
