By Jonathan Davies
ITV has agreed to buy the Dutch production company behind BBC's The Voice for £355m.
Established by the creator of Big Brother John de Mol, Talpa Media is known for creating new formats aimed at bringing in big audiences, like The Voice.
The Voice, which is broadcast in the UK by ITV's rivals BBC, was first launched in Denmark, but is now aired in 180 countries.
Talpa Media recently reported revenues of €233m (£165m) and a €61m pre-tax profit for 2014.
It is understood that John de Mol and Talpa's senior team will continue to work exclusively for the production company despite ITV's takeover.
"This is a great opportunity for ITV to accelerate its progress in building a global content business of scale," said ITV's chief executive Adam Crozier.
Mr de Mol said: "It enables me personally to concentrate and focus even more on creating new, groundbreaking content."
