ITV to acquire The Voice creator Talpa Media

ITV is set to acquire Talpa Media B.V., the entertainment show producer responsible for programmes including The Voice and Dating in the Dark, for approximately £355 million, as it looks to further strengthen its international footprint.

Established by Big Brother creator John de Mol, Talpa is a Netherlands-based production and distribution business, focused on developing new formats that attract large audiences and have significant global commercial potential. Over the last six years, Talpa has created 75 shows airing in more than 180 countries, with 16 new formats broadcast last year.

The news comes as ITV reports strong financial results for 2014, delivering revenue growth across all parts of the business.

While ITV’s share of viewing on linear TV was down in 2014, the broadcaster’s CEO, Adam Crozier, said that it is “firmly focused” on improving viewing figures in 2015, bolstered by a range of new content.

ITV will pay an initial cash consideration of approximately £355 million for 100% of Talpa’s fully diluted share capital with further payments dependent on Talpa’s future performance.

“Great content is at the heart of ITV’s growth strategy and the acquisition of Talpa builds on the success of our international content business and is absolutely in line with our desire to create and own formats that travel,” said Crozier.

“John de Mol and his team have an incredible track record of doing that consistently over many years and I’m delighted to welcome them to the ITV family. This is a great opportunity for ITV to accelerate its progress in building a global content business of scale.”