Kazuo Takaya, former president of Hulu Japan, has been tapped as president of global strategy at Nippon TV as the Japanese media group accelerates its international expansion initiatives.
The global strategy will focus on long-term growth initiatives across IP development, technology, strategic partnerships, and region-specific market strategies. The division will work collaboratively with the existing content business unit focused on sales, format remakes, and global distribution. In related news, Satoru Hiramatsu has been upped to EVP of the content business, reporting directly to Tadafumi Shimomura, president of the content business at Nippon TV, and overseeing the global content sales and production teams.
A key remit for the global strategy team will be expanding the international footprint of Gyokuro Studio, the company’s unscripted content production brand, and its AI-powered AiDi solution.
“Global business is becoming an increasingly important driver of Nippon TV’s future growth,” said Takaya. “Leveraging our strengths as a global content company, we aim to explore and drive business opportunities worldwide across a diverse range of areas and initiatives. With Gyokuro Studio, we have launched a powerful creative brand that can deliver fresh, unscripted formats and ideas to partners around the world, such as Majority Rules. With AiDi, we have the opportunity to combine Nippon TV’s production expertise with advanced technology to create new value for the global media and entertainment industry, already proven by its use in major international sports events. I look forward to working closely with partners across the globe to further strengthen the industry.”
Hiramatsu added, “Nippon TV’s core strength lies in our expansive library of high-quality content, driven by the exceptional creativity of our in-house creators. Our position as the world’s sixth-ranked remake distributor reflects how deeply our formats and programs resonate across borders. Building on the strong foundation of enduring hits like Mother and Old Enough!, we are continuing this momentum with a fresh lineup of new formats, drama series, and variety shows this year. In this new role, I look forward to further strengthening our global sales and promotional efforts to maximize the reach of our content.”
