Singapore– Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has secured a deal for the first official version in Southeast Asia of the award-winning global hit format, Dragons’ Den – which airs in the US and elsewhere as Shark Tank – with Shark Tank Vietnam. VTV has ordered a first season of 16 episodes, set for a 2017 launch.

The commission arrives on the heels of several additional recent orders of the successful format.  In the Middle East, Rotana Media Group has ordered its first local adaptation with two seasons to air on its Khalijia channel starting next year. In Hungary, TV2 has ordered its first season of six episodes to air in April, 2017.

Meanwhile, in Australia, Network Ten has ordered a third season of Shark Tank Australia, which will also debut in 2017. Additionally, SPT will be producing Season 2 of Shark Tank México: Negociando con Tiburones following an extremely successful first season.

“This is an especially exciting announcement for us, being able to bring this hugely successful format that originated in Japan to yet another audience in Asia,” said Ken Lo, Senior Vice President, International Distribution, Asia Pacific, SPT. “These new commissions are just further evidence that Shark Tank is truly a format that translates and inspires audiences around the globe.”

In the US, Shark Tank has won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Structured Reality Program three years running and Season 8 is currently on air on ABC.

Dragons’ Den, created by Nippon TV and distributed internationally by SPT, gives budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to secure life-changing sums of money and expertise from some of the biggest names in business. Dragons’ Den is one of the world’s most successful business shows and the format has sold across six continents into more than 30 territories including the UK, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Russia, Germany, Italy and South Africa.