IPCN to Adapt Dragons’ Den in China

BEIJING/LONDON: China’s Shenzhen TV has commissioned IPCN to produce a local version of the reality format Dragons’ Den.

IPCN’s Shanghai-based production team is producing the 12×60-minute series. Dragons’ Den was commissioned by Zhang Zhen of Shenzhen TV, while IPCN’s CEO Rebecca Yang will serve as executive producer on the Chinese version. It is slated for a May 22 premiere on Shenzhen TV.

Also known as Shark Tank, the award-winning business-entertainment show is based on the Japanese format created by Nippon Television Network Corporation (Nippon TV). It has been produced in a host of territories around the world, including the U.S. and U.K.

Among the business leaders who will appear in the Chinese treatment are Xu Xiaoping, one of China’s foremost angel investors, founder of ZhenFund and co-founder and former vice chairman of New Oriental Education & Technology Group, the largest provider of private education in China. Also set to appear is a pioneer of China’s internet industry, Jinbo Yao, the founder of 58.com. Prior to establishing the company, Yao founded domain.cn, a domain name transaction and value-added service website in China. Yao currently serves on the board of directors of Xueda Education Group, which he also co-founded.

“We’re delighted to be welcoming some of China’s most prominent business leaders to Dragons’ Den,” said Yang. “We are also proud to be producing the original format adaptation for the first time in China.”

“We are very excited to bring our format for the first time to an Asian country other than Japan, making this the 27th country that has adapted the Dragons’ Den format,” added Yukiko Kimishima, the divisional president of international business development at Nippon TV. “We have great confidence that the audience in China will truly enjoy this riveting show.”

IPCN produces local versions of several global TV formats for Chinese broadcasters, including The Secret Millionaire for Dragon TV, Supernanny for Anhui TV and China’s Next Top Model for CQTV. In addition, the company recently announced a co-production agreement with STV Productions to create a new factual-entertainment format titled Journey to the Precious, inspired by STV Productions’s Celebrity Antiques Road Trip.