Endemol Shine Australia, part of Banijay Entertainment, has announced a global partnership with Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBS), the network behind hit formats like Ninja Warrior and Takeshi’s Castle.
The co-development deal will allow Endemol Shine Australia to adapt TBS’ new and existing formats for Australian and international audiences, blending both companies’ expertise to expand content offerings for networks and streaming platforms worldwide. Under the agreement, Banijay Entertainment has a first-look arrangement to produce the co-developed formats across its global network.
Chief executive officer at Banijay Entertainment, Marco Bassetti, said: “As a content powerhouse, Banijay Entertainment prides itself on being a home for the world’s best creative talent and a partner to leading ideators in the market. Via this all-new agreement, Endemol Shine Australia has a unique opportunity to delve into TBS’ portfolio to apply its expertise in fostering new global hits and supersizing reimaginations.
“Diversifying and complementing our own catalogue of standout titles, the collaboration will also lean on our 21-territory-strong footprint to localise and scale these next generation superbrands,” Bassetti said.
The first project in development is a fresh take on the strategic game show format, Actor Vs Reactors, created by Junya Ueda. Reinvented by Endemol Shine Australia as The Insider, the show features celebrities caught in elaborate pranks, with one secretly in on the joke.
The challenge? The rest must uncover The Insider before they claim the prize money.
Chief executive officer at Endemol Shine Australia, Peter Newman, said: “We have a worldwide reputation for creating our own groundbreaking formats and supersizing existing ones. Working alongside TBS on this exciting initiative, we are excited to apply our creative lens to reinventing these local formats for a global audience. With The Insider, we have a title built for a broad audience – unpredictable and attention- grabbing.
“Combining the thrill and addictiveness of strategic gameplay, with explosive laugh-out-loud excitement, this hysterical genre-busting show promises surprises, deception, celebrities, comedy and sleuthing – perfect ingredients for a universal travelling hit,” Newman said.
TBS, one of Japan’s largest media companies, has a long history in sports entertainment reality TV, with Nin
Endemol Shine Australia, Peter Newman.
ja Warrior – originally known as SASUKE – airing since 1997 and sold into 160 territories. The Endemol Shine Australia collaboration builds on its existing relationship with TBS, having previously produced Ninja Warrior for the Australian market.
Executive officer of TBS Holdings, Katsuaki Setoguchi, said: “TBS has designated FY2024 as the ‘First Year of Global Business’, marking our commitment to strengthening our presence in the global market.
We are thrilled to have established a partnership with Endemol Shine Australia, renowned for their outstanding creative capabilities as part of Banijay Entertainment, a leader in the global content market. We have high expectations for the innovative unscripted format that this collaboration will bring to the market; our first project, The Insider, combines the classic prank elements of Japanese variety shows with Endemol Shine Australia’s supersizing prowess. We look forward to delivering a brand-new form of entertainment to audiences worldwide,” Setoguchi said.
While, Jun Fukai, director of global gales and development at TBS Holdings, said: “In recent years, our Global Sales and Development Department has been focusing on format development with global expansion in mind. In July of last year, the team from Endemol Shine Australia visited Tokyo, where they engaged in three days of in-
depth discussions with the TBS Global team and TBS creators.
“From over 20 proposals, we carefully selected a project to bring to the global market. We have high hopes that The Insider will captivate audiences worldwide and introduce fresh innovation to the global entertainment landscape,” said Fukai.
Pictured: Peter Newman, Elliot Spencer and Shun Fukaya