Mumbai: Endemol has announced that it is expanding its presence in South East Asia and establishing a new head office in Malaysia.

Working closely with MDeC (Multimedia Development Corporation) – the custodian of MSC Malaysia – Endemol is launching a new centre of operations in Kuala Lumpur with Endemol South East Asia Sdn. Bhd. registered as a local operating company in Malaysia.

The Malaysian office will become Endemol South East Asia’s new headquarters with the company’s former centre in Bangkok continuing to operate as a regional base.

So far this year Endemol has licensed over 30 programmes in six countries across South East Asia. This includes the first ever local version of xin the Philippines, which was recently shot on location in Argentina. The show is due to broadcast later this year on ABS-CBN, which is now also showing returning series of game show blockbuster Deal or No Deal and has just completed its second season of talent show Dream Academy.

In Cambodia Deal or No Deal has been commissioned for its first run by CTN, while in Thailand 1 vs. 100 has had it first series extended by four weeks on Channel 3. Other recent commissions in the region include first runs of 1 vs. 100 on RCTI and The Last Passenger on Trans TV in Indonesia, whilst entertainment format Let’s Go Shopping has been snapped up for a first series on Astro in Malaysia.

Endemol chief operating officer Marco Bassetti commented, "Since launching in 2005 Endemol South East Asia has undergone substantial growth. By establishing this new base in Malaysia we are now widening our presence and increasing our leverage throughout the region, opening the door to further expansion."

Endemol South East Asia managing director Ed Sharples added, "The launch of our new Malaysian office represents a significant further commitment to South East Asia by Endemol. This not only considerably strengthens our local foothold but will also enable us to better serve our broadcast partners here. We are extremely grateful for the support we have had from the Malaysian Government via MDeC which has been pivotal in helping us to achieve this goal."

MDeC CEO Dato’ Badlisham Ghazali said, "We are very proud to have the presence of companies such as Endemol, which will be a catalyst for Malaysia’s entertainment media industry to grow further. This also further reiterates MSC Malaysia’s position as a key destination for investment and relocation for creative content companies to serve the Asian market."