Having captured the Annual Individual Viewer Ratings Triple Crown title for the 12th consecutive year in 2022 and having previously announced a deal with Ah! Production of France for Silent Library, Nippon TV, Japan’s leading multiplatform entertainment powerhouse, announced today that Rabbit Films, the largest television production company in Finland, has finalized the production of the Finnish-language version of Nippon TV’s entertainment unscripted format Silent Library (30-180 minutes episodes). The Finnish version, hosted by Riku Rantala, a multi-talented and much talked about reporter, author, and host of a very popular local documentary program, is set to start airing in primetime on February 15^th on Star Channel which is owned and operated by Walt Disney Company Finland and will be titled Silent Library Suomi.

Since its launch as an international format in 2007, local versions have been developed in more than 20 countries around the world. Most notable is the hit U.S. version that launched on MTV in 2009 and became a global phenomenon; other versions have been produced in the U.K., Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, France and more.

First airing in 2001 on Nippon TV, Silent Library has been a primetime, family-oriented television sensation in Japan and is one of the most influential comedy shows in Asia. Created by the legendary Japanese comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto from the famed duo DOWNTOWN, and produced by Nippon TV in association with Yoshimoto Kogyo, Silent Library has been a hugely successful segment on Nippon TV’s long-running Sunday night entertainment show where contestants must always keep silent no matter what happens. There are six contestants, one librarian, and other people who sit randomly at the tables in the library. During the show, one contestant must endure crazy pranks such as tolerating a tarantula on the face, or having their head put in a smelly box. However, they must always keep silent because the show takes place in a library.

For the Finnish version, celebrities who will appear on the program include influencers, musicians, athletes, and actors, as well as their friends, family, and other ordinary people. The library studio set is a faithful reproduction of a typical library in Finland. In addition, the pranks included in the series will incorporate Finland’s unique culture, such as sauna, skiing, and Christmas.

Quote from Moe Kanzaki, Sales and Licensing, International Business Development, Nippon TV: “Silent Library, known around the world as Japan’s leading game show format, has continued to be a ratings winner for Nippon TV, bringing laughter to our audiences for many years. In our conversations with the Finnish production team, I felt their strong passion and creativity towards producing a hilarious version for their audience. Silent Library Suomi will be incorporating some unique Finnish cultural elements such as locations in saunas or Christmas themes into this crazy Japanese game show format which is a must-see this season.”

Quote from Olli Suominen, CEO, Rabbit Films LTD: “At Rabbit Films we have long been fans of this outrageously fun format and are proud to finally introduce a local version to the Finnish audience. The production was a blast and we believe the viewers will enjoy the show as much as the contestants enjoyed the production.”