Tokyo Broadcasting System Television
Katsuaki Setoguchi, Executive Officer of the Global Business division at TBS, looks back on the Japanese broadcaster’s trip to the London TV Screenings and outlines TBS Global Business’s co-development and coproduction strategy.
How do you look back on the first year since the launch of TBS Global Business?
TBS positioned last year as the “first year of global business” and has accelerated its global expansion by leveraging the expertise gained from years of producing hit programmes, announcing numerous co-development projects with international partners.
TBS has long delivered programmes such as Takeshi’s Castle and SASUKE (Ninja Warrior) to audiences worldwide through format sales, establishing the foundation for Japanese variety shows to achieve international success and popularity. Ninja Warrior, which has enjoyed over 20 years of popularity, saw new seasons produced and aired last year in the US, Germany, France and Poland. While details cannot yet be disclosed, we are excited to announce upcoming news related to Ninja Warrior soon.
Additionally, Takeshi’s Castle has maintained its popularity for over 40 years, and we are preparing a major announcement regarding its expansion into new regions. Moving forward, we will continue developing content that resonates with global audiences, both through new productions and beloved classics.
What specific initiatives are being undertaken?
Last year, TBS established business hubs in Los Angeles, New York and South Korea. These new locations strengthen collaboration with local production companies and distributors, enabling the development and distribution of a wide range of content — from adaptations of Japanese shows to entirely original productions.
In 2022, TBS launched THE SEVEN in Japan, the country’s first production studio independent of TBS Television. THE SEVEN has produced dramas and films for global OTT platforms including the global hit Netflix series Alice in Borderland and Yu Yu Hakusho. And recently, we announced the production of Quiztopia, another Netflix series based on a legendary cult-favourite comic. By breaking free from traditional Japanese terrestrial business frameworks, we are committed to expanding our content for the global market.
TBS made some major announcements during the London TV Screenings. Can you share your insights into your new unscripted projects?
TBS has entered into a partnership with Endemol Shine Australia (ESA), a group of Banijay Entertainment, to co-develop a new programme titled The Insider. This show is based on TBS’s format Actor vs Reactor. In July of last year, ESA representatives travelled to Tokyo, where they engaged in three days of intensive discussions with the TBS Global team and TBS creators. Through this process, they carefully selected a project from over 20 proposals to launch in the global market.
Furthermore, as part of this agreement, Banijay Entertainment has a first-look arrangement to produce the TBS/ESA co-developed titles locally across its label footprint. TBS has collaborated with ESA on Australian Ninja Warrior in the past, and this new strategic partnership further strengthens our relationship, driving global expansion in unscripted content.
Exciting news is also coming from South Korea. Our format co-development with Something Special, announced last year, is progressing well. We have another partnership that’s been ongoing, and we will announce further details soon, reinforcing the collaboration between Japan and South Korea and expanding content from Asia to the world.
What can you tell us about the announcements TBS made regarding scripted projects?
During the London TV Screenings week, TBS announced a development deal with Turkish production company Most Production for a remake of the classic TBS drama Le Bel Homme. Since last year, TBS has been accelerating the sale of drama remake rights, particularly in South Korea and Turkey. In South Korea, the TBS mega-hit comedy drama Extremely Inappropriate! is in development with Korean production company Basestory , while Forget Love and Tower of Sand are being developed in Turkey under the creative vision of local production company Fabrika Yapim.
TBS also announced partnership with Stories Group to bring its most popular programmes to international audiences through Hollywood remakes. TBS and Stories Group will select multiple titles from TBS’s extensive drama catalogue and develop them into English-language adaptations.
Moving forward, TBS will continue to accelerate its global expansion, delivering compelling content to audiences around the world.
