SASUKE 2018, TBS's sports entertainment series SASUKE's 35th episode, aired on March 26, 2018, was awarded Best General Entertainment Programme at the 2019 Asian Television Awards (ATA). Featuring over 50 categories of programs and selecting prizewinners from among over 1,300 entries, ATA is the region's biggest and most important television program competition. Every year, broadcasters from Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand and other Asian countries and territories submit a vast number of programs in every genre, vying to see whose content will triumph in the awards.

The first episode of SASUKE aired in Japan on September 27, 1997, and the most recent edition (37th episode) on December 31, 2019. In each season, competitors fight body and soul against a series of grueling athletic challenges, over a four-stage obstacle course. While SASUKE is a sports entertainment program that challenges mettle and muscle to the max, it’s also a documentary that provides glimpses into the daily training and private lives of its competitors. The New Year’s Eve presentations of SASUKE in 2018 and 2019 each featured exciting live broadcasts of the daunting Final Stage. Aired consecutively in Japan for an impressive 23 years, SASUKE continues to evolve and win new fans around the world. The franchise has turned into a global phenomenon, with SASUKE and its spin-offs having aired in 165 countries and regions, and 25 localized versions produced worldwide to date.

About the Asian Television Awards (ATA) 
Launched in 1996, ATA recognizes excellence in programming, production and performance. ATA is a non-profit organization supported in part by Television Asia Plus, a magazine focused on television and new media trends in Asia. TBS programs have received numerous awards at ATA over the years, with “Athletic Fire,” another sports entertainment program, winning in the same category (Best General Entertainment Programme) in 2012 (https://www.tbscontents.com/en/news/405).

Comments by SASUKE producer Taro Muraguchi
“First aired 23 years ago in 1997, SASUKE has now become a globally popular brand, and as producer, I’m thrilled to see it appreciated this way at ATA this year. There is great passion for the show on the part of our viewers, who want to see all 100 of the competitors make it to the Final Stage and achieve Total Victory. Adding to that is the dedication of my production staff – who have a strong desire to see the competitors show off their skills and courage, to wow the audience. We are extremely honored to receive this award. Thank you very much.”