There is a fair chance that television production company Endemol will form a new powerhouse producer by merging with competitor Talpa, owned by Endemol’s founder John de Mol, the Financieele Dagblad reports.

Endemol’s chief executive Just Spee told the paper in an interview he could see ‘great advantages’ to a merger. ‘We are looking at Talpa and they are looking at us, it is only logical,’ Spee said.
A partnership on a contractual basis or local alliances would be alternatives to a full-scale merger, Spee said.
The way for a merger has been cleared because Goldman Sachs and Italian media company Mediaset have both reduced their stakes in Endemol. John de Mol himself has been a passive investor since 2007.
Spee said merging Endemol’s ‘ideas factory’ with his international sales operation Talpa would be a logical step to boost the distribution platform. As well as the famed format Big Brother, Endemol produces The Voice and Deal or No Deal.