Japanese and U.S. Television Companies to Co-Develop New Formats
to Attract Global Audiences

Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV) and Hollywood-based Lighthearted Entertainment jointly announced that they have entered into a unique development relationship that will allow the television companies to co-develop, co-own and co-sell new formats for the worldwide marketplace. The announcement was made today by Noritada Hosokawa, President and Representative Director of NTV, and Howard Schultz, President and CEO of Lighthearted Entertainment.

The two companies have started to work together in developing creative formats that blend trends derived from around the world, thereby appealing to a global audience. The first of these projects, currently titled "ALL OR NOTHING," is a brand new format created by NTV and Lighthearted Entertainment under this co-development relationship, and is targeted to hit the international marketplace this coming fall.

Schultz said, "We are excited about our new relationship with NTV because it enables us to work together on projects from inception through the premiere. As we continue to expand our work with other global partners, this relationship enables us to not only create new formats but produce them and test them at a very low cost threshold. Rather than developing a concept for a specific audience and then trying to figure out how to make it attractive to other cultures, we will work together from the beginning to ensure that the projects are relevant - from a creative and marketing perspective - to audiences around the world."

The deal between NTV and Lighthearted Entertainment was brokered by International Creative Management, which represents both entities.

ABOUT NIPPON TELEVISION NETWORK CORPORATION

Established in 1952, Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV) is the first commercial broadcaster to launch in Japan with 29 affiliate stations throughout Japan and 11 overseas news bureaus. NTV, as a broadcaster, produces highly acclaimed programs with its in-house production/technical teams for the terrestrial and satellite channels, and uses its diverse multi-media functions for merchandising, DVDs, live events, Internet business, international TV distribution and others. NTV is known in the international markets as an original producer of smash hits including DRAGONS' DEN, SILENT LIBRARY and MASQUERADE among others.

ABOUT LIGHTHEARTED ENTERTAINMENT

Lighthearted Entertainment was established in 1992 by CEO Howard Schultz as an independently-owned television production company, specializing in all forms of non-scripted programming. Lighthearted Entertainment has created and produced literally thousands of hours of very diverse television shows for cable, syndicated and network television, including the recent worldwide television smash hits: FOX's THE MOMENT OF TRUTH, ABC's EXTREME MAKEOVER, and MTV's NEXT!. Lighthearted Entertainment is involved creatively in the productions for all of the shows they create and produce, and they own the formats for nearly all of their properties. Its string of highly rated, long-running reality shows, many of which have gone on to inspire similar shows, is unparalleled in the industry.

Business Planning & Development
Programming Strategy, Programming Division
Nippon Television Network Corporation