Hunan TV’s “Gold Rush” added to Phil Gurin’s TGC slate; second season greenlit for China

Phil Gurin’s TGC Global Entertainment has added Hunan TV’s “Gold Rush” to its international catalogue in a deal confirmed at MIPCOM this morning during a showcase for the entrepreneurial/business reality show. The agreement is a first for Gurin’s two-year-old distribution unit.

“Gold Rush” sets out to unearth the next generation of game-changing innovators among university students in rounds that involve peer as well as investor pitching.

Hunan TV vice president, Wang Tian, said this morning that the platform was working on a second season that would involve students worldwide.

The 12-episode season one, which aired on Hunan TV in March this year, ranked #1 in its Sunday prime time slot for 12 consecutive weeks and generated more than 2.3 billion views across online platforms, the partners said during the showcase. The series also streamed on Hunan TV’s Mango TV.

Gurin said the appeal of “Gold Rush” was the character journey for the young contestants. “Formats are my life, and I thought the way they developed the storytelling for the students was interesting and unique… really special”.

“I also love the idea of trying to reach a younger audience with a show like this… unlike other business shows, you go on a journey with them,” he said.

Deepak Dhar adds Talpa Studios’ titles to Banijay Asia unscripted formats catalogue

Banijay Asia has signed a two-year deal to rep Talpa Studios’ unscripted formats in India and Thailand. The announcement was made this morning by Deepak Dhar, founder and group CEO, Banijay Asia and Endemol Shine India, and Maarten Meijs, Talpa Studios’ CEO. Talpa Studios’ titles include “The Floor” and “The Quiz with Balls”. Based in Mumbai, Banijay Asia’s unscripted titles include “The Kapil Sharma Show”, “Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle” and “The Voice”.

NHK, Gedeon reunite on “The Lost Castle of Azuchi”; premium doc explores Japanese architectural wonder

Japanese public broadcaster NHK and French production house Gedeon Programmes have reunited on history-science doc, “The Lost Castle of Azuchi”. The new show, announced this morning as day two of MIPCOM opened, promises to “uncover the mysteries surrounding one of Japan’s most enigmatic architectural wonders”.

The doc looks at the mysteries of the lost Azuchi Castle, Japan’s first true samurai castle built by the 16th-Century warlord Oda Nobunaga, credited with unifying the country and redefining Japan’s cultural identity. The castle was destroyed shortly after Nobunaga’s assassination.

NHK and Gedeon were also involved in “Run Against Time: The Snowman Race in Bhutan”, co-produced with Bhutanese public broadcaster BBS.

Nippon TV, Fuji TV lead Japanese formats activity at MIPCOM day two

Nippon TV’s celebrity-driven format, “Red Carpet Survival”, returns for a second season on Prime Video as “Red Carpet, VIP Al Tappeto”, the Japanese commercial broadcaster said in Cannes this morning. The show, produced by BluYazmine for Amazon MGM Studios, streams in 2026.

In another Japan deal, a Danish version of Fuji TV’s youth-focused “VS School, the Ultimate Hide and Seek” is in the works by Strong Productions. The option was announced this morning. “VS School” launched globally at MIPCOM 2023. The show is adapted from Fuji TV’s weekly variety programme, “The New Key”, which premiered at the end of 2022.

Yomiuri TV–Studio Bozzetto co-production brings Japan-Italy anime alliance to TIFFCOM

Kansai-based broadcaster Yomiuri TV takes to the stage at TIFFCOM in Tokyo at the end of October to talk about its new anime co-pro – “Pino & Shinoby” – with Italian animation studio Studio Bozzetto. The series will be broadcast in both Japan and Italy and is domestic character Shinoby’s global debut.

The collaboration conversation at TIFFCOM, which runs from 29-31 October, forms part of Japan’s broader strategic initiative to strengthen cross-border partnerships and expand its global industry footprint.

The anime conversation continues across the rest of the event in Tokyo as part of the government’s drive to quadruple the size of overseas markets from ¥4.7 trillion/US$31 billion to ¥20 trillion/US$131.6 billion by 2033.

The conference also includes a seminar organised by The Association of Japanese Animations looking at key factors driving the growth of the Japanese animation industry and its outlook.

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