NATPE: Endemol Taps Rapper Pitbull

Endemol North America announced a new deal with rapper Armando Christian Perez (known as Pitbull) to develop and produce original content for TV and digital. 

The announcement was made at the Endemol North America NATPE 2014 party in Miami, Fla., Monday.

Pitbull’s recent single “Timber” is currently in its third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and new song “We Are One (Ole Ola)” was named the official anthem for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Under the agreement Pitbull will also serve as executive producer along with manager and Latium Entertainment chief executive officer Charles Chavez. The digital aspect of the deal also includes a Pitbull channel on Endemol Beyond, the new global venture that will create a premium network of international and local channels across platforms such as YouTube, Yahoo, AOL, MSN and Dailymotion. 

“Endemol is the world’s largest independent producer of multi-platform entertainment, and Pitbull is an internationally celebrated artist and worldwide sensation,” says Cris Abrego, co-chairman and co-chief executive officer, Endemol North America. “The U.S. Hispanic consumer and gigantic global stars like Pitbull have been the underpinning for the major Latin music and cultural influences in the U.S. and around the world. By offering the support, global infrastructure and reach for television and digital that only Endemol can provide, we look forward to the output and to the multitude of possibilities that this collaboration will generate.”