TV Asahi Leverages Its Strengths as an All-Genre Content Powerhouse

Doctor-X the movie is a key highlight for TV Asahi Corporation this MIPCOM. The Doctor-X series aired for seven seasons and recorded the highest average ratings in a ten-year period. This marks its first movie.

Doctor-X the movie depicts the activities of the lone-wolf genius surgeon Michiko Daimon. True to her words, “I never fail,” Daimon, who has successfully performed numerous difficult surgeries, now faces her greatest crisis in the movie. “We are very excited to bring the series to the big screen this coming December,” says Miyuki Nakasone, co-director of international distribution.

Meanwhile, TV Asahi’s animation business is showing steady growth in both the kids and family and anime genres. “Along with our flagship series and the distribution of content such as Doraemon and Shin chan, we are now expanding our business into development and co-production with series such as Obocchama-kun,” says Maiko Sumida, head of animation sales and development.

TV Asahi also launched IMAnimation this year, a new time slot dedicated to anime, followed by NUMAnimation, which launched four years ago. Successful titles such as The Dangers in My Heart come from this time slot.

MIPCOM will see the world premiere of the new Obocchama-kun. “The animated series is a new challenge for TV Asahi, as it is the first co-production project between Japan and India where the animation process is fully conducted in India,” says Sumida. “We had series such as Ninja Hattori, where we had the animation done in India, but we always had our affiliate studio Shin-Ei Animation as the prime contractor, working and supervising the overseas studio. This time, for Obocchama-kun, only the scripts and basic artworks are done in Japan, and the animation is done in India without a Japanese animation studio’s supervision.”

Regarding formats, TV Asahi is known for its “simple, visual, original and unique challenge formats with a twist,” according to Setsuko Yoda, head of format sales and development. “Our classic formats are still strong [enough] to be adapted even today.”

31 Legged Race, which originally aired more than 25 years ago, continues to be adapted in various countries. In the physical challenge show, multiple groups of kids compete with their legs tied together. New episodes of the Thai version will be aired this coming winter. The format has also been adapted in Vietnam, China and elsewhere.

Celebrity Fight Club is a fresh format based on TV Asahi’s classic hit Challengers on Fire. It has been newly reimagined by Youngest Media Group in Los Angeles. “The original Challengers on Fire, a hit TV Asahi series that ran for five years and over 190 episodes, was top-rated in its time slot,” Yoda says. This co-developed format has now been optioned to Germany.

In scripted formats, the Thai version of Ossan’s Love will premiere this December on GMMTV. “Ossan’s Love is the first TV series in the boys’ love genre to air on a terrestrial broadcaster in Japan with multiple series,” Yoda says. “The series’ popularity reached mainstream audiences. The first local adaptation was aired in Hong Kong in 2021, which became a social phenomenon at that time.”

For MIPCOM, the company is presenting Meta Love, a romantic reality show that combines a fresh approach with the latest tech. A male celebrity and a popular female idol will go on a date in the metaverse. “Normally, they’re too conscious of their fans to go on dates in public, but in the metaverse, they can,” Yoda says.

The Dance Master is a dance competition show in which four challengers face off against a Dance Master. They practice for 30 minutes to perfect a set of choreography for a pop group. Each of the four challengers will learn the choreography directly from the pop group and take one section to perform it as best as they can. The Dance Master will practice alone and must perform the entire choreography.

Destiny is a romance suspense series following a female prosecutor who reconnects with her ex-boyfriend after 12 years, leading to the unraveling of his father’s connection to her father’s death. As she delves deeper, she will ultimately face him in court.

In the animation space, TV Asahi is focusing on expanding its business through a 360-degree approach, encompassing broadcasting, streaming, digital, merchandise and other areas stemming from its content.

“With over 65 years of leadership in the Japanese content industry, TV Asahi has delivered top-rated drama series, enduring animation programs and high-quality variety shows aimed at younger audiences,” says Nakasone. “Leveraging our strength as an all-genre content powerhouse, we are actively pursuing co-productions and continuously seeking opportunities with promising overseas production companies.”

Looking to 2025, the goal is to create “attractive content through the various approaches mentioned above,” Nakasone says. “We aim to actively engage not only in the Asian markets but also in regions we have not yet reached, producing strong content that can compete globally.”