TBS and ATS Partner to Establish New Format Sales Team in Europe
The alliance aims to expand the distribution and commercial development of Japanese unscripted formats across the European market, leveraging ATS’s local expertise.
TBS Holdings, Inc. and ATS have announced a strategic partnership to launch a new Europe-focused format sales team based in London. This initiative marks a new phase in TBS’s global expansion strategy, following the establishment of its offices in Los Angeles and Seoul. The core objective of the new team is to drive sales and business development for TBS’s catalog of unscripted formats across the European region.
The new operational structure involves ATS expanding its existing development and sales team to support the partnership. ATS brings a specialized background in international television production, having delivered projects in over 30 countries across regions including Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Europe. The company’s experience encompasses end-to-end line production and creative support, managing complex shoots in diverse environments, which provides a practical foundation for adapting ambitious formats globally.
The leadership team for this joint effort integrates executives from both organizations. It includes Shun Fukaya, Head of New Format Sales, Europe at TBS; Danny Sanz, CEO of ATS; Michael Kelpie, Content & Strategy Consultant for ATS and former Managing Director of Potato; Ines Serrano, Head of Development at ATS; and Samantha Ferguson, Sales Consultant for ATS and former VP of International Sales at Rabbit Films.
The operational dynamic will center on ATS supporting day-to-day sales activities and follow-up across Europe, working in tandem with the TBS team based in Tokyo. This structure is designed to expand the reach of selected TBS titles to more European markets, while simultaneously fostering deeper collaborations with local broadcasters and production companies.
TBS representatives outlined the strategic rationale behind the alliance: “By combining TBS’ long-standing IP and creative expertise with ATS’ industry knowledge and extensive network, we hope to further strengthen our relationships with broadcasters and production companies across Europe and create new business opportunities for TBS formats”.
ATS’s global track record includes the production of over 85 seasons of Ninja Warrior, a key TBS format. The company’s portfolio also features major international productions such as Ultimate Beastmaster and Floor Is Lava for Netflix, The Bridge, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Top Dog, and Moneyball. With offices in London, Manchester, Los Angeles, and Lisbon, ATS positions itself as a production engine for large-scale television formats.
