Message from the President
President
TBS Holdings, Inc.
TBS Television, Inc.
As one of Japan’s premier media companies, the TBS Group has embraced the exciting changes taking place in the broadcasting industry. Proud of our past, we also have our eyes firmly on the future. The company has developed a diverse array of businesses, including news reporting, TV programs and content, cultural events, real estate, product commercialization, and shopping. The centerpiece of these operations is TBS Television, which has created countless hits in fields such as drama, variety, and news programs. TBS Television has played an important role as a torchbearer of Japan’s broadcasting culture.
Did you know that TBS programs and content have thrilled and entertained viewers all over the world for more than half a century? Programs featuring content sent in by viewers – in particular, America’s Funniest Home Videos, which has been a long-running favorite in the United States – Takeshi’s Castle, and Ninja Warrior are among the popular global hits that originated at TBS.
Content we have created and produced in a wide range of genres, ranging from program formats to dramas, anime, and movies, has found a place in the hearts of viewers in many corners of the world. Yet despite these successes, we are not resting on our laurels. Program and format sales and joint productions remain key elements of our business, but in recent years TBS has confidently entered a new phase in which we have ramped up and expanded our international market and branding operations. In addition to product commercialization, content publication, and video game development, this proactive strategy has even culminated in adventure parks featuring Ninja Warrior-inspired obstacles opening in the U.K. and Israel.
Technological innovations and changes in lifestyle are rapidly altering the environment surrounding our broadcasting operations. However, TBS considers this era of change to be a golden opportunity to demonstrate the strength of our content production, which has been crafted over many years. In April 2018, we launched the subscription and transactional video-on-demand service Paravi in cooperation with several of Japan’s leading media groups. Paravi is a new media platform on which viewers can watch content produced by these media companies “anytime, anywhere, and on any device.” The addition of Paravi to our existing terrestrial broadcasting, broadcast satellite, communication satellite, and radio channels will enable TBS to meet viewers’ changing needs even better than before.
In January 2019, TBS announced the “Akasaka Entertainment City Initiative.” This project aims to create a base from which next-generation media and entertainment content will be developed for a new era. Over the next decade or so, we will redevelop the area around our head office in Tokyo’s Akasaka district and build new entertainment and live performance facilities that give visitors from across Japan and around the world experiences they will never forget. This initiative has a clear concept: make Akasaka a district that creates the greatest excitement in the world. I am confident we can achieve this ambitious goal.
The TBS Group remains committed to ensuring that all content “From TBS” links to a brighter future. We will continue to eagerly take on new challenges – and we believe the best is yet to come.