Endemol chief creative officer Peter Bazalgette unveiled plans for two mobile phone 'channels' and a new UK production division dedicated to mobile content as he addressed delegates at Mipcom's Mobile Day last week.
Endemol chief creative officer Peter Bazalgette unveiled plans for two mobile phone 'channels' and a new UK production division dedicated to mobile content as he addressed delegates at Mipcom's Mobile Day last week.

Endemol is first planning to launch an Extreme Reality Channel, featuring bizarre video clips from its international library of content, which will be followed by a Comedy Channel. The reality service is due to showcase in the coming months on a variety of mobile outlets around the world and both 'channels' will launch through partnerships with mobile phone operators.

"It doesn't make us a channel owner in the conventional TV sense," said Bazalgette. "The plan is to work with commercial partners to bring our archive to mobile phone users."

Endemol Mobile, meanwhile, will be headed up by Morgan Holt, reporting to Endemol UK's director of digital media, Peter Cowley. The new division plans to produce original made-for-mobile content including Ten for Ten, a new game in which users answer a series of video questions for a chance to win£10.

"Endemol Mobile is a resource designed to create tailor made content for both mobile and broadband," said Bazalgette. "We plan to establish this new division in the UK first and then replicate it across the international group."

Endemol has already seen considerable growth in the take up of its mobile offerings around Big Brother and the company recently struck a deal with Orange to supply content for its own mobile reality channel in the UK, kicking off with Sky One's sports reality hit The Match.

Endemol Italy has also produced content for its hit soap Vivere for retransmission through mobile networks, while Initial's new Channel 4 drama series Totally Frank features bite-sized 'mobile episodes'.