Nippon, Story Lab shop 9 Windows

9 Windows debuted in Japan last week

Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV and UK-based investor, distributor and producer The Story Lab are launching a new gameshow format into the international market.

9 Windows premiered on Nippon TV in Japan last week and the format is being shopped to the global market by The Story lab in time for the digital version of Mipcom next month.

The show is the first title to emerge from a co-development partnership between the two companies.

It is described as a funny and fast-paced gameshow-meets-talent contest that celebrates ordinary people with outlandish skills. Set in an interactive studio, each episode features nine contestants with unusual abilities, all beamed in from their home through ‘nine windows’ – giant studio screens.

Across three rounds, the contestants compete for a cash prize by mesmerising a studio jury with their hidden talent – whether it’s balancing any household object on top of another, using incredible knife skills to slice things into any shape or using 3D makeup to turn a woman’s arm into a shockingly lifelike snake.

Nippon TV and The Story Lab first announced plans to enter into a co-development partnership in December 2019. The partnership is focused on creating original entertainment formats that are scalable and returnable across multiple territories. International distribution of all titles launched by the partnership is jointly managed by Nippon TV and The Story Lab.