American Ninja Warrior (ANW), the U.S. spin-off of the TBS sports entertainment programme Sasuke, is back! All new Season 7 to start airing this summer on 25 May. Last summer, Season 6 of ANW was a notable success, winning its time slot during 11 of 14 weeks in the coveted 18-49 age demographic. Versus the prior summer, ANW grew by 18% in 18-49 and by 7% in total viewers.

As it did last season, ANW will air as a two-hour programme in prime time on two national television networks − the terrestrial NBC network and the cable Esquire Network.

The qualifying rounds for ANW7 began in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, on 13 March and include five other major U.S. cities – Houston, Kansas City, Orlando, Pittsburgh, along with an all military shoot with current and retired military members in Long Beach, California.

Qualifiers are scheduled to last until the middle of May. The elite few athletes who progress to the finals will take on the world’s most difficult obstacle course − the four stages of Sasuke, recreated in full scale on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip.

Returning from ANW6 to host are Matt Iseman and former NFL pro Akbar Gbajabiamila. Kristine Leahy (CBS sports) joins the show this season as co-host. 

Sasuke content has been sold in 165 countries and territories. Sales extend through Asia, Europe, and North America, as well as the Middle East and Latin America. Following upon the success of local versions of Sasuke in the U.S., Turkey, Sweden, Malaysia, and Singapore, production is also ongoing in the UK for Ninja Warrior UK and in Vietnam for Sasuke Vietnam. Around the world, whether in the form of broadcasts of the original Japanese programme or locally produced versions, Sasuke seems to be getting more popular by the day!