TBS wants Japanese shows to travel like K-dramas. Here’s its plan
At Tokyo’s TIFFCOM market, the company behind Ninja Warrior laid out how its Legendary and CJ ENM partnerships fit a push to take Japanese content worldwide.
TBS Holdings outlined a push to take Japanese content to global audiences at TIFFCOM in Tokyo on Thursday, October 29, according to Variety. The company behind Ninja Warrior pointed to partnerships with Legendary Entertainment and a new venture with South Korea’s CJ ENM and Japanese streamer U-Next as parts of that plan.
Setoguchi Katsuaki, a TBS executive who also leads production company The Seven and The Seven U.S., described establishing a new global genre of “J-content” as a goal, Variety reported. The ambition is to give Japanese programming the kind of international reach achieved by Korean dramas.
How TBS plans to take Japanese content overseas
Setoguchi appeared alongside Watanabe Shinya, president of TBS Holdings’ global business division, at the content market of the Tokyo International Film Festival. Variety reported that their presentation focused on finding stronger global footholds for Japanese content and highlighted TBS’s alliances with Legendary and the Studio Monowa venture.
The Legendary relationship already has a financial component. TBS bought a $150 million minority stake in the company in January 2026 and signed a non-exclusive agreement to source and develop Japanese intellectual property, Deadline reported. Legendary is the producer behind the Dune and Godzilla franchises.
In Asia, TBS has launched Studio Monowa with CJ ENM and U-Next. Deadline reported that announcements about the venture’s first projects are expected soon, though it gave no date. That makes the studio a route for future productions rather than evidence that its first slate has already reached viewers.
Why Ninja Warrior matters to the strategy
TBS can point to one format that has already travelled: Ninja Warrior. Deadline reported that the company built an international business around the show with partners including Banijay, RTL and ITV Studios. At TIFFCOM, representatives of those partners appeared in video clips discussing the format, according to Deadline.
The broader market is also seeking overseas buyers for Japanese ideas. In a separate announcement at TIFFCOM, the Cannes Marché du Film and TIFFCOM said they would hold a second Japan IP Market on May 14–15, 2027, after an inaugural edition in 2026. That event is separate from TBS’s partnerships, but reflects the industry’s push to connect Japanese properties with international partners.
Another Japan–Korea collaboration was on show at TIFFCOM: Nippon TV and CJ ENM discussed their series Merry Berry Love, which began streaming worldwide on Disney+ on October 7, Deadline reported. It offers a separate example of the cross-border production model TBS is pursuing through Studio Monowa.
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Sources and context
- ‘Ninja Warrior’ Maker TBS Tells Tokyo Market How Legendary, CJ ENM Alliances Fit Its Push to Make J-Content the Next K-DramaVariety
- TBS Unpacks Collaborations With Legendary & Korea’s CJ ENM: “We Want To Create A New Global Genre Of J-Content”Deadline
- Cannes Marché & TIFFCOM Commit To Holding Second Edition Of Japan IP Market In 2027Deadline
- ‘Merry Berry Love’ Producers Nippon TV & CJ ENM Talk Korea-Japan Collaboration To Boost J-Drama – TIFFCOMDeadline
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.