FremantleMedia Dating Format Heads to Japan

LONDON: The FremantleMedia dating show Take Me Out has been adapted for Japan, where it will launch on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) in an 11:30 p.m. weekly time slot.

Take Me Out will be the first local adaptation of an international format to go to air on a Japanese TV network as a weekly program in more than three years. The show will kick off with a 90-minute special episode at 10 p.m. on September 29 and will then air as a 30-minute weekly show from October 1.

The dating format was developed by FremantleMedia in France, and was first commissioned in Australia. Take Me Out has since travelled to Denmark, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Spain, and has recently been commissioned by ITV in the U.K.

Patrick Schult, the CEO of FremantleMedia Asia, said: “Take Me Out is really gathering some momentum internationally. It’s a unique, fun and modern dating show which is very visually appealing. Take Me Out has captured the attention of audiences around the world, and we are delighted to announce the upcoming launch of the program in Japan.”

Shingo Ishiyama, the president and representative director of FremantleMedia Japan, added: “FremantleMedia is working very hard with broadcasters in Japan to understand their local practices and needs in order to bring some of FremantleMedia’s high-quality programs to Japanese audiences, and we’re very pleased to be partnering with TBS on Take Me Out Japan. We’re also focussed on leveraging the wider FremantleMedia network of companies to roll out great local ideas to viewers all around the world.”