MIPTV Spotlight: TV Asahi

Leading TV Asahi’s format slate for MIPTV 2019 is the romantic reality series Sweet Kiss Bitter Kiss, centered on the idea of on-screen couples hitting it off in real life.

“We noticed it is familiar news around the world to hear of an actor and actress falling in love for real after starring as a couple in love in a film or a TV drama,” explains Mayumi Nakamura, the company’s head of format development and sales.

“Sweet Kiss Bitter Kiss is a format that tests this common outcome in a reality-show setting, where four pairs of promising young actors and actresses play the same romantic scene,” the executive adds. “There are so many dating shows in the market, but Sweet Kiss Bitter Kiss is innovative in bringing romantic-drama acting into the reality-show setting.”

There’s also the short-form Girls Running Up Hill, in which a girl runs up a hill and cameras follow her until she finishes at the top. “We define it as the ‘shortest human documentary,’” says Nakamura.