FremantleMedia, SMG team for China formats

Producer and distributor FremantleMedia has joined forces with Shanghai Media Group’s BesTV and China Media Capital to create a new China-based division that will make entertainment formats for the local market.

The new division will be based in Shanghai and develop original content for the Chinese market. FremantleMedia will sell the resulting formats internationally.

FremantleMedia has sold 20 formats into China to date, including Got Talent, Idols, The X Factor, Don’t Stop Me Now, Take Me Out, Hole in the Wall and Family Feud.

Cecile Frot-Coutaz (pictured), global CEO of FremantleMedia said: “The Chinese television market is rapidly becoming one of the most important in the world. This new relationship with BesTV and CMC allows FremantleMedia to build on its existing presence in China and strengthen our ties in this territory.

“It brings with it the opportunity for FremantleMedia to showcase its world-renowned creativity to millions of new viewers, with content that is made specifically for them.”

Ruigang Li, chairman of media finance firm and producer CMC said: “CMC is delighted to team up with SMG and FremantleMedia, a global leader in entertainment content, to bring together the profound understanding of the market, the established creative capacity and the strength of a global network to further shape the China TV landscape and take more of China’s original content to the world market.”

SMG-backed BesTV is a media conglomerate that produces, distributes and has an OTT platform.

Wang Jianjun, president of SMG said: “We envision BesTV to be a new media conglomerate after the restructuring and China’s foremost OTT service provider. It will build a new media eco-system in which BesTV straddles content production, distribution channels, and products and services.

“The collaboration will give SMG the wonderful opportunity to learn how to create good ideas and how to grow these ideas into formats and productions. It will greatly enhance SMG’s production capacity and help SMG make phenomenal variety shows in the future.”