August 26, 2024—Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (“TBS”) has announced that they will co-develop a new non-scripted entertainment format with the South Korean content creation firm Something Special. The new format is expected to be launched at the MIP London event in February 2025. This is the first non-scripted co-development for Something Special with a Japanese broadcaster. 

In June of 2024, TBS established TOKYO BROADCASTING SYSTEM KOREA, INC. (TBS KOREA) in Seoul as a strategic hub for its overseas business in the country. The broadcaster has been intensifying efforts to sell, remake TBS dramas and co-develop IP. Moving forward, TBS will strengthen sales, IP co-development and also plans to invest approximately 5 billion yen in content co-development in Korea across various genres, including drama, variety shows, films, as well as K-POP and other IP. 

President of TBS KOREA Jun Fukai commented: “One of the purposes of establishing this company is to manage co-development and co-production projects with Korean creators. We are very happy to be working with Something Special for our first non-scripted project, as they have an abundance of expertise and experience in the global market. We hope that this collaboration will result in a new entertainment format that can go global.” 

Executive Vice President Head of Content at Something Special Insoon Kim said, “This collaboration will be partially supported by Format Lab fund which Something Special has been selected by KOCCA (Korean Creative Content Agency) for many years and we are very thrilled to be partnered up with such a prestigious broadcaster like TBS. We are very confident that this is a great start of creating the next global hit which will be initiated by Asia.”

About TBS Global Business
Since the 1960s, TBS has proactively expanded into international markets across all genres, including dramas, variety shows, anime, and movies. Notably, hit dramas such as VIVANT, TOKYO MER: Mobile Emergency Room, and Hanzawa Naoki, as well as variety show formats like SASUKE/Ninja Warrior and Takeshi's Castle, have gained widespread popularity worldwide. TBS has distributed hundreds of titles comprising tens of thousands of episodes to over 160 countries and territories worldwide. In recent years, TBS has expanded into multi-platform ventures, including video streaming, IP commercialization, publishing, theme parks, and tie-up collaborations.

About Something Special

Founded in 2019 in Seoul, Something Special is Korea’s #1 independent format agency, with the largest number of original Korean formats from some of the most top-rated producers. Something Special is the first-ever TV Format agency focused on creative talents, specializing in global content development, production, and distribution. The company acts as a bridge to facilitate global formats both from Korea outbound to sourcing and bringing premium formats into Korea, pairing them with the right partners. Something Special represents the international business of a variety of Korea’s top-tier independent production companies and creative talents, including titles from major Korean broadcasters. Working in both the scripted and unscripted fields, Something Special combines the company’s core competency of development, production, distribution, and commerce, to become the leading Korean Wave content powerhouse. Something Special embraces their company motto: We Connect & Create.
 

Inquiries
Shuji Maeda: maeda.shuji@tbs.co.jp
Global Sales and Development Dept, Global Business Division, TBS Holdings, Inc.

Hongpyo Choi: choi.hongpyo@tbs.co.jp
Corporate Branding and Promotion Center, TBS Holdings, Inc.