TBS Eyes Global Expansion With Legendary and CJ ENM Partnerships to Rival K-Drama

Japanese Broadcaster Reveals Ambitious Global Content Strategy

The Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) Group revealed its ambitious plan to transform Japanese content into a global cultural force at a Thursday morning session at TIFFCOM, the content market of the Tokyo International Film Festival. The broadcaster outlined strategic partnerships with Legendary Entertainment and South Korea’s CJ ENM designed to establish J-content as the next worldwide phenomenon, rivaling the explosive success of Korean drama and entertainment.

Watanabe Shinya, president of the global business division at TBS Holdings, and Setoguchi Katsuaki, executive officer of the global business division at TBS Holdings and president and CEO of The Seven and The Seven U.S., spoke about how the group works to accelerate its global business. The session focused on inspiring global love for Japan through strategic content partnerships and investments spanning North America and Asia.

The broadcaster aims to establish Japanese intellectual property-including manga, anime, and novels-as a dominant force in international markets. TBS executives detailed multiple collaborative ventures designed to bring Japanese storytelling traditions and production values to audiences worldwide, learning from the remarkable success of Korean cultural exports over the past two decades.

Learning From Korean Content’s Global Dominance

Setoguchi spoke candidly about his evolving perspective on Korean content production. He recalled that 20 years ago he saw a gap between the production capabilities of Korean and Japanese studios, and that to my embarrassment he had not anticipated the now vast influence of Korean cultural output. The executive acknowledged the dramatic shift in global entertainment consumption patterns over the past two decades.

“Everywhere you go around the world, K-content and K-drama, they are a part of everybody’s everyday lives,” Setoguchi said during the session.

This observation forms the foundation of TBS Group’s renewed global ambitions. Setoguchi sees his mission as spreading Japanese content worldwide to a similar extent, focusing not on immediate profit generation but on establishing a new genre of J-content that resonates across cultures and markets. The executive called on the Japanese industry to work together to find global reach for Japanese intellectual property.

Strategic Investment in Legendary Entertainment

TBS Group partnered with Legendary Entertainment following what Setoguchi described as matching needs between the two companies. The Japanese broadcaster made a $150 million equity investment in Legendary Entertainment earlier this year, creating a partnership focused on connecting Japanese source material with global audiences through live-action adaptations.

The collaboration addresses complementary strategic objectives. TBS wants to create global hits in global markets, while Legendary keeps a close eye on the potential of Japanese IP, including manga, anime, and novels, with a view to adapting them into live action for international distribution. The partnership positions TBS to leverage Legendary’s established distribution networks and production capabilities while maintaining creative control over Japanese intellectual property.

In this collaboration, TBS plays the role of cultural translator for Legendary, ensuring that adaptations preserve the essential elements that make Japanese stories distinctive while making them accessible to Western audiences. This approach aims to avoid the pitfalls that have plagued some previous attempts to adapt Asian content for English-speaking markets.

Joint Venture With CJ ENM and U-Next

Looking to cultivate markets beyond the West, TBS Group announced Studio Monowa, a joint venture with CJ ENM and Japanese streamer U-Next. The partnership combines TBS Group’s content library and creative talent with CJ ENM’s global standard production capabilities to develop intellectual property that resonates with worldwide audiences.

The collaboration brings together Korean production expertise-proven successful in creating globally popular content-with Japanese storytelling traditions and source material. Studio Monowa represents TBS’s strategy of learning from Korean success rather than competing directly against it, creating hybrid production models that draw on the strengths of both Asian entertainment industries.

Setoguchi emphasized his ongoing interest in Korean programming and content, viewing the partnership as an opportunity to apply successful Korean production methodologies to Japanese intellectual property. The joint venture aims to create content that travels easily across Asian markets before expanding to Western territories.

Variety Content and Game Show Formats

Variety content and game shows form a key focus of the group’s efforts to build a foothold for Japanese content in other countries. TBS Group partnered with Banijay Entertainment on local adaptations of formats, including the internationally successful Ninja Warrior franchise, which has spawned versions in multiple countries including the popular American Ninja Warrior series.

These unscripted formats offer TBS a proven pathway to global markets. Game shows and competition formats travel more easily across cultural boundaries than scripted dramas, requiring less localization while maintaining the core appeal that made the original Japanese versions successful. The Ninja Warrior format demonstrates how Japanese concepts can achieve widespread international recognition and commercial success.

Building a New Global Entertainment Genre

The TBS Group strategy reflects broader ambitions within the Japanese entertainment industry to capture a larger share of global content consumption. The session at TIFFCOM emphasized that TBS views this expansion not merely as a commercial opportunity but as a cultural mission to inspire global appreciation for Japanese creativity and storytelling traditions.

Setoguchi stated clearly that his priority involves establishing a new genre rather than generating immediate profit for TBS, signaling a long-term commitment to building Japanese content recognition worldwide. This patient approach mirrors the decades-long effort that eventually made Korean content a global force, acknowledging that cultural influence develops gradually through consistent quality and strategic partnerships.

The broadcaster’s multi-pronged strategy-combining North American partnerships through Legendary, Asian collaboration via Studio Monowa, and format licensing through Banijay-creates multiple pathways for Japanese content to reach international audiences. Each partnership addresses different market segments and content types, from live-action adaptations to unscripted formats, maximizing TBS’s potential for global penetration across diverse entertainment categories and regional markets.