# TBS Holdings Details $150 million Legendary Stake and CJ ENM Studio Monowa Venture at TIFFCOM

> TBS Holdings outlined its $150 million Legendary stake and a Studio Monowa joint venture with CJ ENM at TIFFCOM, aiming to take Japanese drama global.

- Published: 2026-10-29T10:13:08+00:00
- Section: Partnerships
- Author: News Desk
- URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-29/tbs-legendary-cj-enm-partnerships
- Source: [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv/articles/tbs-unpacks-collaborations-legendary-korea-092314902.html)

## Key takeaways

- TBS Holdings acquired a $150 million minority stake in Legendary Entertainment in January 2026 under a non-exclusive IP development agreement.
- TBS launched production joint venture Studio Monowa with CJ ENM and Japanese streamer UNEXT, with first projects to be announced soon.
- TBS employees will set up desks in Legendary's Los Angeles offices starting in October 2026.

TBS Holdings executives detailed the company's $150 million minority stake in Legendary Entertainment and its production joint venture with Korea's CJ ENM at a TIFFCOM presentation, according to [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv/articles/tbs-unpacks-collaborations-legendary-korea-092314902.html). The Japanese broadcaster said the tie-ups aim to raise Japanese live-action drama to the global reach of Korean drama.

## Inside the Legendary Stake and Studio Monowa

TBS acquired the $150 million minority stake in Legendary in January 2026 and entered a non-exclusive agreement with the Dune and Godzilla franchise producer to source and develop Japanese IP. Katsuaki Setoguchi, TBS Holdings executive officer for the global business division, said: "Why did we partner with Legendary? Our needs matched each other perfectly." He said Legendary has been "keeping a close eye on Japanese IP" and is producing theatrical and episodic projects based on Japanese IP including Street Fighter, Gundam and Drops Of God Season 2.

Setoguchi said TBS has "neutral" relationships with all major Japanese publishers, so it is not limited to specific rights holders. Starting in October 2026, TBS employees will set up desks in Legendary's Los Angeles offices. TBS already has LA offices and an outpost of its international production outfit The Seven, which produced three seasons of Alice In Borderland and Did Someone Happen To Mention Me, starring Koji Yakusho.

In Asia, TBS launched production joint venture Studio Monowa with [CJ ENM](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0005swb/cj-enm) and Japanese streamer UNEXT, with announcements on the first projects expected soon. Setoguchi said: "We feel our mission now is to create a new global genre of J-Content."

## Earlier TBS Moves in Unscripted and Sports

TBS hired Elwin de Groot, a former Youngest Media and MTV Entertainment executive, as senior unscripted development executive to oversee its US presence, Broadcastnow reported in May 2026. In May 2026, TBS also secured a four-year extension as exclusive Japanese broadcaster of the indoor Volleyball Nations League and FIVB World Cup, Sportcal reported.

## Nippon TV and Amazon MGM Expand Japan Slate

Nippon TV and CJ ENM announced a Korea-Japan drama collaboration at TIFFCOM, co-producing Merry Berry Love, which premiered on Disney+ on October 7, [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv/articles/merry-berry-love-producers-nippon-045923152.html) reported. Amazon MGM Studios Japan doubled its investment in original Japanese content, including live-action films and series, new head Buddy Marini said at TIFFCOM, [Deadline](https://deadline.com/2026/10/one-piece-amazon-mgm-studios-japan-kingdom-tiffcom-1237206872/) reported.

## Ninja Warrior Plans Across Europe

Banijay Chief Content Officer James Townley said of the Ninja Warrior format: "With the Olympics coming up, Ninja Warrior can capitalize on the strength of that and will be a major focus for us across Europe next year." Banijay is selling the Israeli version of the show, which is returning after a three-year hiatus, while Australia is bringing it back after five years. TIFFCOM runs for three days, from October 28 to 30, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center in Hamamatsucho.

## Companies in this story

- TBS Holdings · website: http://www.tbsholdings.co.jp
- [RTL Group company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0009slm/rtl-group) · website: https://company.rtl.com
- [CJ ENM company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0005swb/cj-enm)

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