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‘Ninja Warrior’ Maker TBS Tells Tokyo Market How Legendary, CJ ENM Alliances Fit Its Push to Make J-Content the Next K-Drama
TBS Group is pursuing global partnerships and formats to help Japanese content reach audiences on the scale achieved by Korean dramas. At TIFFCOM, executives described plans to work with international studios and adapt Japanese intellectual property for different markets, with the wider aim of establishing a recognisable global category of “J-content”.
TBS has invested $150 million in Legendary Entertainment, which is interested in adapting Japanese manga, anime and novels into live-action productions, with TBS acting as a cultural translator. Its joint venture Studio Monowa brings together TBS, South Korea’s CJ ENM and U-Next Holdings. The long-running “Sasuke: Ninja Warrior” has local adaptations in 25 countries and reaches 170 countries; “Kasso”, a skateboarding format, is another property being developed for international audiences.
In short
- TBS wants Japanese content to gain global reach like Korean dramas.
- Its $150 million Legendary investment supports adaptations of Japanese stories.
- “Ninja Warrior” has adaptations in 25 countries and reaches 170.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
TBS’s partnerships and adaptations could give Japanese stories access to international production expertise, financing and distribution, while cultural translation may help them connect with audiences in different markets. A recognisable J-content category could also create opportunities for Japanese creators and broaden the range of stories reaching global viewers.
The case against
Adapting intellectual property for international markets may reshape stories to fit commercial expectations, weakening the cultural qualities that make them distinctive. Building a global category around Japanese content could also concentrate influence in large studios and format owners, while success abroad may be uncertain despite the investment and partnerships.
Explained simply
TBS is a major Japanese television and media company. It is looking for ways to bring Japanese stories and entertainment formats to viewers abroad, building on the international success of Korean television dramas.
Its partners include US production company Legendary Entertainment and South Korea’s CJ ENM, alongside Japanese streaming service U-Next Holdings in the joint venture Studio Monowa. TBS owns or works with Japanese material such as manga, animation, novels and television formats, which partners may adapt for audiences in different countries.
One example is Sasuke, the Japanese obstacle-course competition adapted overseas as Ninja Warrior. Its international versions show how a programme can travel across language and cultural boundaries; TBS’s wider effort matters to Japan’s ambitions to make its entertainment more familiar to audiences around the world.
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