ITV

Tag: TV Asahi

  • TV Asahi to celebrate Doraemon’s French return with party at Mipcom 2025

    TV Asahi to celebrate Doraemon’s French return with party at Mipcom 2025

    PARIS: TV Asahi is throwing a Dorayaki Party at Mipcom on 14 October to celebrate the return of Doraemon, Japan’s time-travelling robotic cat, to French screens after a 10-year hiatus. Voice actors Emmanuel Curtil and Brigitte Lecordier will dish behind-the-scenes stories about reviving the beloved animation series at the Cannes event.

    The party marks the launch of 13 freshly dubbed episodes hitting French audiences from 3 October—the first French-language version since 2015. The new season drops first on YouTube France before rolling out across Anime Digital Network, Amazon Prime Video and Pluto TV.

    Paris-based distributor Soupir is orchestrating the multi-platform push, backed by a promotional blitz dubbed Bonjour Doraemon featuring voice cast videos, YouTube Shorts and exclusive previews.

    Curtil—the French voice of Jim Carrey and Disney’s Goofy—leads the cast as Doraemon. He’s joined by Lecordier, famous for voicing Son Goku in Dragon Ball, who plays Nobita Nobi and co-directs the dubbing alongside Louis Lecordier.

    “I hadn’t come across Doraemon before, but I had the pleasure of dubbing it alongside my long-time friend and collaborator, Brigitte Lecordier,” says Curtil. “I am very happy to bring this cheerful and intrepid little hero to life.”

    Lecordier calls the blue cat “a legendary figure throughout the world of animation” and says she feels “so lucky” to work on the series.

    Created by Fujiko F. Fujio, Doraemon debuted as manga in 1970 and hit Japanese television in 1979. The series has since spawned over 2,000 episodes and become a cultural juggernaut across Asia.

    TV Asahi head of animation sales and development Maiko Sumida says Japan and France share “a deep cultural affinity.”

    Soupir founder Charles Courcier, reckons the new dub will help Doraemon become “as beloved in France as it is around the world.”

  • Song vs Dance debuts with a bang on TV Asahi, sparks viral frenz

    Song vs Dance debuts with a bang on TV Asahi, sparks viral frenz

    MUMBAI: TV Asahi’s talent competition, Song vs Dance, has made a spectacular debut, drawing massive viewership and igniting social media buzz. Premiering on 28 March at 11:15 pm on Channel 5, the high-energy variety show has captivated audiences with its electrifying format.

    A co-production between TV Asahi and Smart Dog Media, Song vs Dance redefines entertainment with its action-packed battles between top-tier singers and dancers. The show achieved a 3.5 per cent rating and a 15.9 per cent audience share, making it the second most-watched programme in its time slot across Japan’s six terrestrial channels. It also emerged as the highest-rated artist performance music show of 2025, proving its dominance in the genre.

    Beyond TV, Song vs Dance has taken social media by storm. Clips from the show have amassed over 136 million Tiktok impressions, gained 10,000+ new followers, and racked up 7.2 million views on a single video. The buzz propelled the show to fifth place on Yahoo’s SNS trends and third in Android search rankings, highlighting its widespread appeal across generations.

    With such a phenomenal response, TV Asahi is set to roll out more exciting episodes to settle the ultimate debate—are you team song or team dance?

    TV Asahi stated, “We are delighted to announce a historic milestone in the realm of TV Asahi variety shows. In this unprecedented move, we have embarked on a cross-border project that brought together both US and Japan teams to collaboratively create an entirely new and innovative format. This bold initiative has successfully redefined entertainment, and we are honoured to have achieved this groundbreaking accomplishment.”

    Produced by Craig Plestis and Clara Plestis of Smart Dog Media, alongside TV Asahi’s Takaaki Kitano, Song vs Dance marks TV Asahi’s first co-production with a U.S.-based production company.
     

  • Song vs Dance: Japan’s TV Asahi to debut new talent show format on 28 March

    Song vs Dance: Japan’s TV Asahi to debut new talent show format on 28 March

    MUMBAI:  Get ready for the ultimate showdown as TV Asahi drops its high-octane new talent battle, Song vs Dance. Premiering on Friday, 28 March at 11:15pm on TV Asahi, Channel 5, this turbo-charged one-hour variety special pits top-tier singers against elite dancers in an electrifying head-to-head clash.

    The mission? 

    Settle the age-old debate once and for all – which rules the stage, song or dance?

    Co-produced by TV Asahi and US-based Smart Dog Media, Song vs Dance rewrites the rulebook on competition TV. A video game-inspired battle arena, top-class performers, and high-stakes rivalries set the scene for an unmissable showdown.

    Fronting the spectacle is comedy maestro Takashi Yoshimura, ensuring laughs between the lung-busting notes and gravity-defying moves. Keeping score are an all-star panel: Exile frontman Takahiro, breakdancing Olympian Shigekix, and comedian-turned-Instagram-sensation Naomi Watanabe, who boasts over 10 million followers.

    Backing the talent are powerhouse coaches: world-class pianist Shinya Kiyozuka leading Team Song, while ace choreographer Takahiro (yes, same name, different gig) steers Team Dance.

    Singers Song Vs Dance

    Eight performers are ready to throw down their best during the faceoff. Team Song brings vocal firepower, led by acclaimed tenor John Ken Nuzzo, beatbox wizards Sarukani (Grand Beatbox Battle world champs), singer-songwriter Emoh Les (X-Factor Okinawa Japan 2013 winner) and gospel queen TiA, fresh off a victory at McDonald’s Gospelfest.

    Team Dance is stacked with champions. America’s Got Talent golden buzzer act Chibi Unity, four-time Vibe Dance Competition winners, is in the mix alongside Issei, the world’s youngest Red Bull BC One champ. Joining them are Utamaru, 2023 Udo Street Dance World Championship winner, and tap-dancing sisters Rino and Noa Shirakawa, who repped Japan at Ido 2024.

    The brains behind the show? Craig and Clara Plestis of Smart Dog Media, whose TV smashes include The Masked Singer and The Masked Dancer. Teaming up with TV Asahi’s Takaaki Kitano, Song vs Dance marks the Japanese broadcaster’s first hook-up with the US production powerhouse.

    With its explosive performances, top-tier talent and an innovative format, Song vs Dance has all the moves to become an international variety sensation. Get ready – this one’s set to hit all the right notes.

  • Shin-chan to storm Indian cinemas theatrically in 2025

    Shin-chan to storm Indian cinemas theatrically in 2025

    MUMBAI: TV Asahi announced  today that the cheeky five-year-old phenomenon Shin-chan will finally be leaping onto the big screen across India with not one, but two theatrical releases slated for 2025.
    In a historic first, the mischief-maker extraordinaire will grace Indian cinemas with Shin-chan Our Dinosaur Diary  hitting theatres in May, followed by the India-themed spectacle Shin-chan The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers in India during the Diwali festivities in October.

    Distributed by cinema giant PVR Inox Pictures, the films will cater to India’s linguistic diversity with releases in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Japanese with English subtitles—a strategic move that acknowledges the character’s massive appeal across the subcontinent.

    The announcement comes as little surprise to industry watchers. Since his 2006 Indian television debut, the kindergartener who can “turn any calm day upside down in an instant” has become nothing short of a cultural sensation. Broadcasting daily on Hungama TV and recently joining Sony Yay!, Shin-chan has claimed the crown as the most-watched international animation in India, with a staggering one in ten Indian children tuning in to his antics.

    “It has been our long-standing dream to release Shin-chan films in theatres in India, the movie superpower!” gushed TV Asahi head of animation sales & development  Maiko Sumida. “We hope this will provide fans with an unforgettable cinematic experience.”

    Shin-chan Our Dinosaur Diary promises a rollicking adventure featuring a small dinosaur named Nana, discovered by the Nohara family dog, with the family battling to protect their prehistoric friend when dinosaurs escape and rampage across Tokyo.

    Meanwhile, The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers in India takes Shin-chan’s signature chaos to Indian shores when he and his friends win a dance competition trip to India—only to encounter a mysterious backpack that transforms his friend Bo into a power-mad tyrant.

    The theatrical releases mark a significant milestone for the global animation juggernaut, which has aired over 820 episodes across 45 countries and released 32 films that have raked in more than $350 million at the Japanese box office.

    With millions of Indian fans—both children and nostalgic adults who grew up with the series—eagerly awaiting these releases, 2025 is shaping up to be the year Shin-chan’s trademark cheekiness conquers Indian cinema screens nationwide.

  • Sony YAY! celebrates seventh anniversary with the launch of Shin chan

    Sony YAY! celebrates seventh anniversary with the launch of Shin chan

    Mumbai: Kids’ entertainment channel – Sony YAY! has announced an exciting new addition to its rich programming slate with the launch of the iconic show – Shin chan. This move not only reaffirms Sony YAY!’s commitment to delivering quality content for young audiences but also highlights the channel’s dedication to providing kids’ favourite shows from across the globe. With this launch of the never seen before episodes and movies of the popular character, the channel readies to celebrate the passionate fandom of Shin chan.

    This summer, Sony YAY! has put together one of the most robust lineups in the category, that will feature an eclectic mix of the kids’ favourite shows that are homegrown and also that are handpicked from across the globe. This new addition of the fan favourite show Shin chan – the timeless classic that follows the adventures of a mischievous young boy, fits right in the multi genre bouquet of the YAY! toonverse. Shin chan joins the ranks of the leading chase comedy “Oggy and the Cockroaches” and the longest-running pet comedy “Honey Bunny.” Along with this rich mix of content offering, the channel also plans to retain its leadership position across key markets through the local connect that it has built through regional language feeds like Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bangla, and Odiya.

    Sony YAY! plans to expand its footprint by curating a special Shin chan multiverse. This expansion will go beyond the linear medium to include digital and on-ground experiences, as well as various brand extensions. This strategic move is aimed at enhancing the overall viewer experience offering fans of the series more ways to engage with the beloved characters and world of Shin chan.

    Sony YAY! business head Leena Lele Dutta:

    “Sony YAY! has been consistently working towards building its rich ecosystem of #Happyverse. With its endearing characters that have created connect across the globe, we are excited to welcome Shin-chan to the Sony YAY! family. We are confident that Shin chan’s charm and mischief will resonate with our viewers.”

    TV Asahi head of animation sales and development, international business department – Maiko Sumida:

    “We are excited to partner with Sony YAY! and look forward to the comprehensive 360-degree footprint generation for Shin chan. We look forward to further growing the Shin chan brand in India through this collaboration.”