Televisa Sets Development Pact With Mexico’s Endemol Shine Boomdog (EXCLUSIVE)

By Anna Marie de la Fuente

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Mexico’s Televisa and Endemol Shine have inked a new pact for content development, cementing a long-standing relationship of 17 years.

Mexico City-based Endemol Shine Boomdog, run by CEO Alejandro Rincon, and Studios will co-produce a slew of original scripted and unscripted series for the Hispanic markets of Mexico, the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Unveiled at by Patricio Wills, President and Head of Studio of Televisa Studios and Laurens Drillich, President of Endemol Shine Latino, the new agreement encompasses the joint development and production of programs, series and original formats from Endemol Shine Group for Hispanics worldwide.

First out the gate are action drama TV series “Hijos de Tigre” and game/sketch show “Me Caigo de Risa” (“Anything Goes”). The latter’s third season on Televisa wrapped Aug. 9 and posted an average audience of 1.8 million viewers per episode. Endemol’s original format of “Anything Goes” has been adapted in more than 20 countries including Australia, Vietnam, China, Norway, and Spain.

The alliance between Televisa and Endemol Shine dates back to 2002 with the adaptation and distribution by Televisa of such hit Endemol formats as “Big Brother,” “Star Academy,” “Fear Factor” and Endemol-Telefe telenovela, “Los Exitosos Pérez.”

Televisa and Endemol Shine Boomdog recently co-produced the sixth season of talent show “Strictly Come Dancing” (“Mira Quién Baila”), both top viewed Sunday programs on Televisa and U.S. Hispanic broadcaster, Univision.

“Endemol Shine has a long and successful history with Televisa, and we are delighted to continue this relationship with this unprecedented agreement,” said Drillich. Wills concurred: “We appreciate the confidence that an international producer of the size of Endemol puts in Televisa to co-produce for the world market.”

Agreement comes as Televisa faces the mounting challenges of shifting viewer habits as more people gravitate towards streaming services and other online fare.

Endemol Shine Boomdog is the result of the 2017 merger between Endemol Shine Latino, the Spanish-language division of Endemol Shine North America, with Mexico City production house Boomdog. Boomdog last year tapped industry veterans Leo Zimbron and Jose Lascurain to oversee their scripted and unscripted content productions, respectively.

In separate news, Grupo Televisa disclosed earlier this month that one of its founding executives, Jose Baston, has left its board of directors for what it described as “personal reasons.” Baston ankled his post as President of Televisa International last year amid a company-wide shakeup but was asked to remain on the board. Former Televisa CEO and heir Emilio Azcarraga Jean also left his post but remains chairman of the board.

(Pictured: Endemol Shine’s Laurens Drillich and Cris Abrego and Endemol Shine Boomdog CEO Alejandro Rincon)