NHK’s 8K Channel to Air The Mating Game

NHK’s 8K channel is set to broadcast the new natural-history series The Mating Game in January.

Produced by NHK and Silverback Films for BBC and Discovery and co-produced with Bilibili and France Télévisions, the five-part series explores how creatures from humpback whales in Hawaii to chimpanzees in Uganda tackle the pursuit of a mate.

Iwasaki Hiromichi, executive producer for NHK, said: “Making this series during the pandemic over the past year and a half was far from easy. NHK was involved with filming that took place in 22 countries on six continents. We took all kinds of steps to ensure that we were in the right place at the right time to film mating behavior in 8K. As a result, we got stunning footage of the courtship behavior of a wide range of species including lesser flamingos, ruffs, caimans and hummingbirds.”

Keith Scholey, executive producer for Silverback Films, added that the series “is there to remind people that the natural world is wonderful, and we need to thrill people with the wonder of nature.”

Hakuno Takahiko, NHK’s 8K channel controller, said: “This series is an invitation to witness natural spectacles on a grand scale. The mating behaviors we reveal are fascinating and truly astonishing. The series unravels natural mysteries that most of us had never even imagined. The 8K footage captured by the veteran Japanese and British crews is magical and truly unforgettable.”