CA Media, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group, has aquired a 49 percent stake in Endemol India, the companies announced Thursday.
They hope to build Endemol India into the leading TV, film, and digital content production company. Deepak Dhar, who has been managing director of Endemol India since 2007, has been promoted to CEO.
CA Media also announced an investment Thursday in Only Much Louder, a music, live events and youth media company in India. It made the investment along with Zodius, an investor and operator of digital media, commerce and services companies.
Endemol India is known for shows including “Bigg Boss” (India's version of “Big Brother”) and an Indian version of “Fear Factor.”
"India is a critical investment market for CA Media and we’re pleased to partner with Endemol to work together to further leverage the growth in the Indian media and entertainment space," said Chernin Group CEO Peter Chernin (pictured). "We believe that Endemol India is poised to capitalize on the expected explosive growth across all platforms in this industry.”
Added Just Spee, CEO of Endemol Group: "India represents a significant opportunity for Endemol and our collaboration with CA Media strongly positions us to become the region’s largest content producer. With his far-reaching experience and expertise in the market, Deepak is the ideal candidate to lead this project and we are excited to be working with CA Media and The Chernin Group."
