Nippon TV, Japan’s leading multiplatform entertainment powerhouse, and international studio and rights business, Blue Ant Studios, jointly announced that they have agreed to enter into a strategic partnership to expand development and production of Nippon TV Gyokuro Studios’ unscripted formats in the North American market. The partnership builds on the success of Blue Ant Studios’ adaptation of Nippon TV’s global hit format Old Enough!, including its first season in Canada and a highly anticipated second season planned for TVO and its YouTube channel.

Nippon TV and Blue Ant Studios both have a strong track record in unscripted formats: Nippon TV with global hits like Dragons’ Den/Shark Tank, Old Enough!, Silent Library and Eye Candy; and Blue Ant Studios with Race Against the Tide (recently adapted for BBC Factual and BBC Scotland), All-Round Champion (an NRK format now in its sixth season), The Jury (a BAFTA-winning ScreenDog format, globally distributed by Blue Ant Studios and recently optioned in the US and Canada), Blown Away (Netflix) and other originals. Building on their combined track leadership, the partnership aims to capitalize on the collective expertise of both companies to create and adapt innovative unscripted formats for North American audiences.

The two companies will collaborate to further develop and ready original formats from Gyokuro Studio, Nippon TV’s new production arm for marketability to the North American market. The partnership will be spearheaded by Tom Miyauchi, Head of the newly established Nippon TV Los Angeles Business Office (launching in July), alongside Matt Hornburg, Co-President and Diane Rankin, EVP, Content Development & Commercial Strategy, both of Blue Ant Studios.

 Tom Miyauchi, Vice President of Nippon TV International and Head of Nippon TV LA Business Office commented, “Building on the warm reception of Old Enough! in Canada, we see a tremendous opportunity to further localize and expand our global footprint in unscripted formats, and we are proud to announce our strategic partnership with Blue Ant Studios. As a proven force in the content industry, Blue Ant brings invaluable expertise and a strong track record of success in North America and the world. By joining forces, we aim to blend their creativity and market-winning insight with Nippon TV’s original format ideas. This partnership marks a meaningful step in our efforts to deliver distinctive Japanese creativity with both local and global sensibilities to audiences around the world—an exciting collaboration that aligns perfectly with our vision of ‘Creating Global Entertainment’ at Nippon TV LA.”

Matt Hornburg, Co-President, Blue Ant Studios said, “Blue Ant Studios and Nippon TV share a like-minded vision for broad, four-quadrant entertainment formats with global resonance. As our streaming and network partners continue to ask for ambitious, high-impact content, this collaboration supports our strategic focus on scalable IP with international potential. Piloting innovative ideas in select global markets before introducing them to North America is a model we see gaining traction and one we’re excited to build upon.”