Nippon TV to present Gyokuro Studio formats at Content Europe in Lisbon
Gyokuro Studio’s format Majority Rules
Japan’s Nippon TV is heading to C21’s Content Europe next week with an unscripted slate headlined by social experiment series Majority Rules.
The show is one of three new series on the slate from Gyokuro Studio, Nippon TV’s in-house production arm, which launched last year.
Majority Rules sees 13 strangers isolated in a warehouse for 18 days and forced to govern every aspect of their lives by popular vote. The majority vote is absolute, controlling daily routines, mission strategies, and eliminations.
Every hour, the group must decide on living conditions, from meals to rest, by pressing a red or blue button. To build their prize bank, competitors face missions testing logic, physical prowess, and personal experience, where they must choose between two radically different strategies.
By Day 18, only four competitors remain to face one last mission. Their ultimate fate is then decided by a final vote from the very people they previously cast aside, determining who walks away with the money they’ve earned.
Originally broadcast on Nippon TV in February, the format is now being offered to global buyers, with its North American expansion driven by a strategic partnership with Blue Ant Studios.
Content Europe is a cost-effective three-day market, conference and screenings taking place in Lisbon from April 21-23, 2026. The event is designed as a sales and acquisitions market, connecting buyers and sellers around formats, factual, drama and kids.
As well as Majority Rules, Nippon TV will be in Lisbon will family-oriented game show The Balance and the high-speed culinary competition Cooking Rush!
In addition to the new titles, the Gyokuro Studio line-up includes the recently launched Cash or Splash!, alongside the one-concept physical game show Mega Catch and heartwarming reality series Secret Little Assistant.
Ken Akiyama, head of Gyokuro Studio, Nippon TV, said: “Since its launch last June, Gyokuro Studio has been dedicated to crafting innovative formats that resonate across borders.
“At the inaugural Content Europe, we are thrilled to showcase a diverse range of entertainment—from intriguing psychological experiments that unlock the human mind to the family-friendly studio game shows that are a signature of Nippon TV. We are also actively driving creative partnerships and look forward to the opportunity to connect with everyone in Lisbon.”
Yoko Takashima, associate managing director, content business and distribution, Nippon TV: “We are arriving in Lisbon with great momentum. Since we sneak previewed Majority Rules in London this past February, the interest from buyers has been incredible.
“The format’s power lies in its simplicity: every decision is a visual, binary choice between red and blue. These instant votes trigger rapid shifts in loyalty and psychological tension, keeping viewers hooked as the stakes escalate. I look forward to connecting with our European partners to bring these bold formats to their screens.”
