Dutchman John de Mol is an international media tycoon and entrepreneur. He is one of the original two founders of Endemol, a media company with television and cross-media production outfits in some 25 countries around the world. De Mol is the impresario behind reality show hits such as Big Brother and Fear Factor. Spanish telecom giant Telefonica bought Endemol in 2000 in a deal valued at EURO 5.5 billion, after which, De Mol acted as EndemolÕs chief creative officer until 2004, actively involved in developing and producing new content for television and other platforms. In 2005, John de Mol founded a new media group, Talpa. Talpa encompasses several terrestrial and digital radio stations, a music publishing outfit, a development branch, a cross-media and television production company and a television station that owns the broadcasting rights for Dutch Premier League football, and airs popular shows such as Expedition Robinson and Big Brother. Apart from his own activities in developing and broadcasting, de Mol also runs Cyrte Investments, an investment company with interests in media and other industries.