Ninja Warrior allies with ad giant

MIPTV: The company behind Japanese gameshow Ninja Warrior has tapped the services of an advertising giant to get the format remade in more European territories.

Ninja Warrior debuted in the UK at the weekend

Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) has entered into a format rights agreement for the sports entertainment programme, known in Japan as Sasuke, with global marketing expert Dentsu.

Dentsu will sell the format, in which hundreds of contestants run, jump and climb their way through a series of physically demanding challenges, throughout Europe for the next two years. The deal excludes Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.

The format has already been adapted in the US, Malaysia, Sweden and, most recently, the UK, where the show made its debut on commercial network ITV on Saturday.

Turkish and Vietnamese versions are in the works, according to TBS, which has previously sold Sasuke-related content in 165 countries and territories.