Ahead of ATF 2025, we caught up with the team from ABC Frontier at MIPCOM 2025 to look back on their year and discuss the company’s evolving direction in drama and format development. From Forest to the long-running variety show Wait, What?!, they reflect on recent projects, share insights into Japan’s changing content landscape, and talk about their upcoming participation at ATF Singapore.
As we approach the end of 2025, how would you summarize this year for ABC Frontier?
This year, we’ve put a lot of effort into developing TV series, especially dramas. It’s our third year in this field, and last year’s Forest was a big success, a national hit. Thanks to that, we even went to İstanbul for an event with JETRO and Turkish producers, where we pitched the series. It was a great experience.
Now, as we enter our third year in drama development, we’re finding our direction, figuring out where we want to go next. The success of Forest encouraged us to continue creating suspense and mystery dramas. We’d love to make another series with the same production team and a similar tone.
How do you see the current appetite for Japanese formats and storytelling in the international market?
We know Japanese formats are well appreciated around the world, but I feel the range of genres is still quite limited. As we look to expand internationally, we’re exploring what direction we should take.
At ABC Frontier, we want to create formats that haven’t been done before, something truly original. We’re particularly strong in emotional, human-centered storytelling, and we’d like to develop more content like that while also exploring different genres.
You also launched Wait, What?! at this MIPCOM 2025. Could you tell us about its journey?
This show is really appreciated in Japan; it’s been on air for eight years now. The concept is that there are two famous comedians who watch footage of celebrities traveling across Japan, visiting local restaurants, and meeting people. Whenever the comedians see something funny or unexpected, they press a button to pause the video and make a comment; that’s why it’s called Wait, What?!
It’s a very engaging, we call it a “magical” format. The humor is universal, and we believe it can work in many countries. That’s why we’d really like to bring this format to the international market.
Beyond Wait, What?!, what other projects are you developing or planning to promote heading into 2026?
In 2026, we plan to develop more TV series not only for broadcasters but also for streaming platforms. Eventually, we’d like to produce a movie based on one of our dramas and distribute it worldwide.
As for formats, Wait, What?! is our biggest hit, but we’d like to create more shows in a similar spirit, maybe one new format each month. It’s an ambitious target, but we’re excited about it.
You’ll also be exhibiting at ATF Singapore, presenting your suspense titles and also organizing an event to introduce new dramas. Could you talk a bit about these events?
We’re bringing several entertaining drama titles to ATF, including Forest. We’ll be part of two events. The first is Drama Gem, hosted by the Japanese Pavilion, where many Japanese broadcasters present their standout titles, Forest was selected as one of them, and we’ll showcase trailers and highlights alongside the producer. The second is more of a challenge for us. It’s a collaborative pitch session where four broadcasters present new titles and formats. It’s our first time participating in such an event at ATF, and we’re looking forward to it.
What are your expectations for ATF 2025?
ATF is a great opportunity because it attracts participants from Southeast Asia as well as countries farther away, including Türkiye and those in the Middle East. We see it as the perfect place to introduce our content, especially drama series that have remake potential and reality formats like Wait, What?! and In the Middle of Nowhere. It’s also a chance to meet new clients from these regions, which is something we find very exciting.
Do you have specific plans to expand into Türkiye, given the number of successful Japanese remakes there?
Yes, absolutely. We see Türkiye as a great partner for Japan. The Turkish adaptation of Mother was a huge success, and we really appreciate how Turkish creators expand stories and adapt them for their audiences. We believe Türkiye is a key country for us, and we truly hope to collaborate with Turkish companies in the near future.
This exclusive interview was featured in Episode Magazine’s ATF 2025 issue.
