Zee and Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc. (TBS) have entered into a partnership to collaborate and curate content utilizing their strength in dramas, documentaries, variety shows and movies not only for India and Japan but also for the global market. Furthermore, both parties will be exploring new business opportunities utilizing their extensive entertainment resources.
The first project to kick-off this new venture is a unique culinary travelogue titled, The Spiceman Trails: Asia. The series delves into the spice roots and routes of some of the most exotic countries of Asia. Its picturesque imagery, vivid landscapes and brilliant hues will take the audience across 7 different countries in Asia, in search of its wide array of spices, within its deep-rooted history and multifarious cuisine in the most entertaining way.
Starting from the land of the rising sun, Japan the hosts of the show will move onward to South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and finally, India. They will explore the spice hinterlands and its origins, also visiting spice farms and marts, interacting with locals, sampling local cuisine, meeting celebrities and Master Chefs, and discover the secrets of the land thru the story of its spices.
Sunita Uchil, Chief Business Officer of Zee Plus, the International Co-Productions & Format unit, quoted, “The Spiceman Trails Asia, is an innovative & exciting format with a universal appeal. This is an ambitious project travelling across the largest continent in the world and we are thrilled to partner with an accomplished broadcaster as Tokyo Broadcasting System. The Spiceman Trails, Asia is one of the 4 seasons planned by Zee Plus on this series.”
Takahiro Kawata, General Manager of International Business Center at TBS added, “We are extremely delighted to be partnering with Zee Plus on this exciting new format and are confident that this will be the first of many more such exciting projects we will collaborate on. With a collective effort, we hope to create contents that fascinate people all over the world. We would like to take this opportunity to further develop our good relationship with Zee.”
Zee Plus has successfully completed several global co-productions including the company’s first global 4K blue-chip science factual documentary The Life of Earth from Space. African drama series Deceptive Measures, was both a co-pro and a scripted format (an adaptation of popular Indian drama series Pavitra Rishta) and in Sri Lanka, Oba Nisa is an adaptation of the popular Tujhse Hai Raabta. The latest success is the recent completion of Culinary Camera: Qatar series, after which this ambitious project of The Spiceman Trails, is being planned for 4 seasons across the globe.