Cannes, France – Japanese television network Fuji TV announced on April 7 a major international syndication deal with online video giant Crunchyroll throughout Asia, including Mainland China, Europe and the Americas. The deal signals Fuji TV’s strength as a primary Drama producer where premium broadcast networks can generate additional revenue in new markets and demographics.
Under the terms of the deal with Crunchyroll, Fuji TV has licensed premium hit titles from the network’s existing library including IRYU, Team Medical Dragon S1-4, Galileo and The 101st Proposal for exclusive online distribution rights. The deal marks a strategic alliance around premium content and multi-platform delivery worldwide.
Vince Shortino, EVP of Crunchyroll’s Japan channels, said of the partnership: “We are very excited to work with Fuji TV to bring popular Japanese drama titles to Crunchyroll. Our vision is to provide our users the best quality and variety of content anywhere, anytime. This partnership brings us one step closer to that vision.”
Fuji TV’s Deputy Director of Worldwide Production and Sales, Programming and Production Dept. Taka Hayakawa stated: “Creating streaming partnerships on a global scale around premium content to generate additional revenue for our partners is Fuji TV’s brand new strategy.”
In addition to licensing Fuji TV’s catalogue, Crunchyroll is teaming up to simultaneously broadcast the worldwide premiere of Japanese drama Gokuaku Ganbo starring well-known actor Machiko Ono (Like Father, Like Son and Moe No Suzaku) this April.
Fuji TV also announced a co-development partnership with The Gurin Company, one of the premier independent producers of non-scripted television in the U.S. and Taiyo Kikaku Co., Ltd., one of the largest producers of the TV commercials in Japan, on supplying the new television format Whose Side Are You On? at MIPFormats on April 6. The project maximised the creative resources of the three companies, combining their expertise in content development and production both in the U.S. and Japan, in order to develop a new TV format for audience around the world.
Whose Side Are You On? is a twisted physical and mental game show where contestants’ strategies whether or not to accept various big challenges determine their fates once and for all. Sixteen ordinary people of all stripes compete against one another in a studio-based competition to win a cash prize.
So Fujinuma, General Producer of Fuji TV commented: “I definitely believe that the co-development maximises Fuji’s breaking idea and The Gurin Company’s creativity and creates an innovative format for global audiences.”
“We are extremely happy to develop shows with the enormously creative team from Fuji and Taiyo Kikaku,” said Phil Gurin, President of The Gurin Company. “It is exciting to have co-created such a loud and fun format for the world, combining the best elements of comedy, strategy, scale and gamesmanship. It’s a unique hybrid, in the best tradition of Japanese and American formats. This kind of international collaboration is at the core of our company’s DNA. We may be based in Los Angeles, but we love to collaborate with the world.”
Following success of co-development in a trio of formats with FremantleMedia in 2010, including Total Blackout which has been distributed and produced in 17 countries to date, Fuji TV is also expanding the co-development projects with other partners at a time in France, Israel and China.
