A local version of TBS’s popular sports variety show “SASUKE” has been green-lit for production in Singapore. After the local version of “SASUKE” became a big success in Malaysia as a government supported project in 2010, the format continues to another Asian territory. The global popularity of “SASUKE” continues to generate growing recognition in Asia resulting in an increasing number of local productions.

Channel 5, one of the main terrestrial channels in Singapore operated by MediaCorp, Singapore’s leading media company, will be producing “SASUKE SINGAPORE”. The first episode will air in an atmosphere of national celebration on August 9th, the day of Singapore’s National Day, and run for 13 episodes until January 2013. MediaCorp is currently scouting for contestants.

Channel 5’s current telecast of “Ninja Warrior” (the US version of “SASUKE”) and the success of the SASUKE format in Malaysia both lead to the production of “SASUKE SINGAPORE”.

In 1985, TBS produced the format of “WakuWaku Animal Land” in Korea. After that, TBS has gone on to produce formats of many of its other shows such as “Takeshi’s Castle” and “Happy Family Plan”. Recently, TBS successfully formatted “Batsu Bidding” for Indonesia along with British-based production company FremantleMedia. It was initially believed that “SASUKE” could not be formatted in Asia due to the large scale of production, but the success of the SASUKE format in Malaysia drew the attention of neighboring countries. TBS, which has produced several thousand episodes of 200 local productions in more than 100 countries, continues to strive for further format productions in Asia and around the world.

In addition to a coalition with MediaCorp, TBS transmits information to the rest of Asia through broadcast and Internet services in cooperation with Nikkei Shinbun. TBS continues to bolster its content feeds to Asia while it develops its international business.

MediaCorp is Singapore’s leading media company with a comprehensive range of platforms, spanning television, radio, newspapers, magazines, movies, digital and out-of-home media.

TBS and MediaCorp jointly produced the drama “Mooncake” in their bilateral agreement. This first drama co-production was broadcast in both Japan and Meidacorp’s Channel U. Due to the drama’s favorable reception in Singapore and Japan, it was the first Japanese drama broadcast on terrestrial television to be streamed via the Internet to viewers around the world. The SASUKE format in Singapore will be the second major project realized through the cooperation between these two companies.

Channel 5 is Singapore’s No. 1 English TV station under the MediaCorp group. It is a 24-hour general entertainment and sports channel with a mix of local and international mass-appeal programmes.