Japanese media and content company Nippon TV has struck a strategic partnership with Toronto-headquartered production and rights company Blue Ant Studios for unscripted format development and production.

The deal is intended to expand development and production of formats from the broadcaster’s recently unveiled unscripted production unit, Gyokuro Studio, in the North American market. The new studio is headed up by Kenichiro Akiyama.

The partnership also builds on the success of the launch of Nippon TV format Old Enough! in Canada, via a Blue Ant Studios-produced adaptation for TVO. The Ontario pubcaster has renewed the series for a second season.

Tom Miyauchi (pictured left), vice president of Nippon TV International and head of the company’s new Los Angeles-based business unit, will work with Blue Ant Studios’ co-president Matt Hornburg (pictured right), and EVP of content development and commercial strategy Diane Rankin to spearhead the partnership.

“This partnership marks a meaningful step in our efforts to deliver distinctive Japanese creativity with both local and global sensibilities to audiences around the world — an exciting collaboration that aligns perfectly with our vision of ‘Creating Global Entertainment’ at Nippon TV L.A.,” said Miyauchi in a statement.

“As our streaming and network partners continue to ask for ambitious, high-impact content, this collaboration supports our strategic focus on scalable IP with international potential,” added Hornburg.

Nippon TV formats include Dragons’ Den, Shark Tank, Silent Library and Eye Candy; while Blue Ant Studios is behind CBC’s Race Against the Tide, recently picked up for a UK adaptation by the BBC, as well as Netflix’s Blown Away and NRK’s All-Round Champion.

This story originally appeared in Realscreen

Image courtesy of Blue Ant Studios