BBC Studios has announced that they will be expanding their content offering for audiences across Japan with the announcement of three new content deals with Disney (Dlife & Disney Junior), NHK and Warner Bros. Discovery (Animal Planet).
Japanese audiences will be able to enjoy a fantastic line-up of the most coveted programmes distributed by BBC Studios including:
Secrets of the Jurassic Dinosaurs – Premiering in Japan on Animal Planet, Liz Bonnin joins an international team of palaeontologists in the remote badlands of Wyoming as they investigate a mysterious dinosaur graveyard.
Attenborough and the Jurassic Sea Monster – Airing in Japan on NHK and Animal Planet, Sir David Attenborough and a team of experts unearth an extraordinary fossil of the largest Jurassic predator ever known – the giant pliosaur.
A Perfect Planet – Airing in Japan on Animal Planet, this will explore the great forces of nature that support, drive and enable life on Earth, with David Attenborough. Our planet is one in a billion. How incredible, awe-inspiring life is driven by its natural forces – and how we can ensure humans become a force for good.
Dinosaur Apocalypse – Premiering in Japan on Animal Planet, experience the lost world of the very last days of the dinosaurs. Searching in the hills of North Dakota, palaeontologist Robert DePalma discovered fossilised creatures, buried in a mysterious crumbly layer of rock. They were astonishingly well preserved, like the bodies found at Pompeii. While DePalma searches the site for evidence that can shed light on the final days of the dinosaurs, state of the art VFX production techniques transport viewers back in time to witness the creatures who lived at Tanis at the end of the Late Cretaceous.
The Great British Bake Off S13 – Premiering in Japan on Dlife, the ultimate baking battle returns with a dozen new contestants and a new host Alison Hammond, who joins Noel Fielding. Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith continue to set the amateur bakers new challenges designed to test a different baking skill. As the competition unfolds, the rounds become harder. The Signature, Technical and Showstopper stages are back, pushing contestants to the limits of their baking ability. And with each passing week, a baker is eliminated until only one remains. Who will be crowned the ultimate Bake Off champion?
Junior Bake Off S3 & S4 – Audiences can view these for the very first time in Japan on Dlife. Junior Bake Off will give young bakers the chance to compete against each other for the title of Best Junior British Baker.
Hey Duggee S4 – Airing on Disney Junior, Japanese audiences have been eagerly awaiting brand new episodes which include the First Day Badges, where each Squirrel learns all about their first day at Squirrel Club; the Choreography Badge where Duggee and the Squirrels enjoy a dance-off and the very special Rainbow Badge that celebrates friendship.
Cheryl Png, Vice President of Distribution for Southeast Asia, South Korea and Japan at BBC Studios Asia, said, “We are thrilled to be expanding our content offering in Japan with these great partnerships. We know there is huge appetite for BBC Natural History programming in Japan and a fascination for dinosaur content, so we are excited to see how all of the dinosaur focussed series that we are launching, including Secrets of the Jurassic
Dinosaurs and Dinosaur Apocalypse resonates with audiences. BBC Studios is known for its premium content, powerful storytelling and the ability to connect with a global audience and I am looking forward to this range of titles showcasing the depth and breadth of our offering.”