What Is John de Mol's Net Worth?
John de Mol is a Dutch media tycoon who has a net worth of $2.2 billion. John de Mol has made an absolute fortune off reality television competitions. Through his companies, Endemol and Talpa, he created shows like "Big Brother," "Star Academy," "The Voice," "Fear Factor," and "Deal or No Deal," among others. John de Mol is the third richest person in the Netherlands and the 670th richest person in the World.
Early Life
John de Mol Jr. was born on April 24, 1955, in Hilversum, Netherlands. His father, John de Mol Sr., was a television producer. Due to his father's career, he was raised in a creative environment and exposed to the ins and outs of the television industry from an early age. John grew up with his sister, Linda, who later became a broadcaster and actress.
2006: Dutch media tycoon John de Mol (Photo by BSR Agency/Gentle Look via Getty Images)
Career
De Mol began working in the entertainment industry in the 1970s. He started out by working as a producer on various television shows. He eventually created his own production company, John de Mol Produkties. In 1994, his company merged with Joop van den Ende TV-Produkties to create a new company called Endemol. From 1997 to 1999, John worked on developing the popular reality television series "Big Brother." With Endemol, he also produced "Fear Factor," "Love Letters, " "1 vs. 100," and the Dutch version of "Deal or No Deal."
In 2000, de Mol sold his share of Endemol to Telefonica but continued to serve as the company's creative director until 2004. By the following year, "Forbes" listed him as one of the richest 500 people in the world.
De Mol then founded his own television station in 2005. He originally wanted to call the station Tien, the Dutch word for ten, but competitor SBS Broadcasting, who owned the TV10 brand, disputed the name. The channel had to launch under the name Talpa instead. Later, the dispute ended, and Talpa was rebranded to Tien. In 2005, he also acquired Radio 538.
REMKO DE WAAL/AFP/Getty Images
The station did not score very good ratings despite having the rights to the Eredivisie football league. In 2007, de Mol decided to close down Tien and sell the channel to RTL Nederland, though he retained a share in RTL. He also sold Radio 538 to RTL. De Mol remained involved with RTL Nederland through a holding company called Talpa, which managed his assets.
In 2010, de Mol launched the show "The Voice of Holland." It became a massive success in the Netherlands. The formula for the show was sold to several other countries around the globe. In the USA, "The Voice" launched in April 2011, and John served as an executive producer on the show. The show did very well in the American market, as well as in around the world.
In 2011, the holding company Talpa began working with Finnish media conglomerate Sanoma to buy the Dutch activities of SBS Broadcasting from German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Media. As part of the deal, de Mol sold his shares in RTL Nederland to the RTL Group and retained ownership of Radio 538.
In addition to his television career, John controls a large private equity fund that once owned a significant portion of the car manufacturer Spyker Cars and the telecommunications company Versatel.
Personal Life
De Mol was married to singer and actress Willeke Alberti from 1976 to 1980. They had a son together, Johnny de Mol, who became an actor and presenter. From 1980 to 1984, John was in a relationship with Marga Scheide, the singer for the group Luv'. In 1986, he married his second wife, Els de Mol.
