For Broadcast March 01, 2012

John de Mol, creator of Big Brother and The Voice, is looking to launch his own UK indie.

He is likely to create a production company organically by setting up a UK arm of his Dutch production company Talpa Media, but he could also be in the market to buy a UK indie.

Talpa’s production model has previously been based on signing exclusive joint-venture production deals with local companies.

It had format production deals with Warner Bros in the UK and US but both these deals expired last summer, with the exception of Wall to Wall producing The Voice in the UK.

Ronald Goes, who runs Warner Bros’ international TV production, previously worked with De Mol at Talpa.

According to a senior company source, Talpa is eager to “build value” in the two key international markets and the move to have a Talpa-owned production entity in the UK and the US is a “high priority”.

The Dutch format company is known for formats including Dating in the Dark, Spin Star, The Golden Cage, Viper’s Nest, Pretty Smart and Know Your Nation.