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Preliminary Rounds to Air First on G4 While Preliminary Finals and Grand Finale To Be Televised on NBC
Competition Held Exclusively in U.S. for the First Time Will Feature Nationwide Try Outs Culminating in High Stakes Finale in Las Vegas Where America’s Top Athletes Will Take on the Series’ Toughest Course Ever
Los Angeles, Calif -- January 24, 2012 – G4 and NBC to air “American Ninja Warrior,” the heart-racing obstacle course competition series, this summer with a nationwide search to find the ultimate athlete who will be crowned the first, true “American Ninja Warrior.” The networks collaborated with the original Japanese broadcaster, Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBS), to bring the course and diabolical designs of each leg of the competition over to the U.S., which is being held entirely on U.S. soil for the first time.
Following NBC’s highly rated special airing of the “American Ninja Warrior” finale last summer, G4 and NBC have expanded their collaboration this year to take the worldwide phenomenon to the next level with G4 airing the preliminary rounds while NBC will air the preliminary finals, as well as the grand finale.
Six regional qualifying competitions throughout the country will determine the finalists who will ultimately have a shot at a $500,000 cash prize and the chance to win the coveted “American Ninja Warrior” title in the national finals in Las Vegas. Last year’s dramatic competition saw four finalists reach the third stage of the grueling challenge, only to be turned away by the arduous course. All aspiring ninjas are encouraged to visit G4’s official casting website (http://www.G4TV.COM/ANWTryouts) to apply for a slot to be one of contestants selected to face the extreme trials and tribulations of the series. G4 will kick off the regional competitions in Southern California, the original home of the previous tryouts, and then shift to Dallas and Miami.
The critically acclaimed series has been a tremendous ratings success for G4, including the season three debut in Summer 2011, which scored the network’s most-watched original season premiere to date. Season three also broke additional records, producing G4’s most-watched telecast and total day performance among men 18-34 and men 18-49 during a special stack that fed into NBC’s airing of the “American Ninja Warrior 3” finale. That conclusive episode on NBC generated nearly four million total viewers and won the 10-11 p.m. (ET) time slot in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic.
A. Smith & Co. Productions returns to produce the fourth season of “American Ninja Warrior.” “American Ninja Warrior” is executive-produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions’ founders Arthur Smith and Kent Weed ("Hell's Kitchen," “I Survived a Japanese Game Show,” "Pros vs. Joes").
All potential competitors are encouraged to submit an application by visiting http://www.G4TV.COM/ANWTryouts.
For additional information on the new “American Ninja Warrior,” please visit the http://www.g4tv.com/anw/home/ and the NBC press website at www.nbcumv.com and www.facebook.com/ninjawarrior and follow on Twitter @ninjawarrior.
About G4
G4 offers the Last Word on gaming, technology, animation, interactivity and “geek culture” for the male 18-34 demo. The network, which is available in 59 million cable and satellite homes nationwide, has given young guys of today’s digital generation a television home. G4tv.com is a top web destination for video game news and information. The network’s popular original programming includes “Attack of the Show!,” “X-Play,” “American Ninja Warrior” and “Campus PD.” G4 also continues to expand its live event coverage at CES, Comic-Con, E3, Tokyo Game Show and more. G4’s Multiplex features content on all possible digital platforms, including G4tv.com, G4 Mobile, G4 Podcasts, G4 on Demand, G4 Video Player, G4 Wii Portal and G4 PS3 Portal. G4 is a network of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.
About NBC Entertainment
NBC Entertainment develops and schedules programming for the network’s primetime, late-night, and daytime schedules. NBC’s quality programs and balanced lineup have earned the network critical acclaim, numerous awards, and ratings success. NBC has earned more Emmy Awards than any network in television history. NBC’s roster of popular scripted series includes such critically acclaimed comedy Emmy winners as "The Office" and "30 Rock," starring Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey. Veteran, award-winning dramas on NBC include "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Chuck." Unscripted series for NBC include the new vocal competition hit “The Voice” as well as the popular "The Biggest Loser," "The Celebrity Apprentice," and "America's Got Talent." NBC's late-night story is highlighted by "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," "Last Call with Carson Daly" and "Saturday Night Live." NBC Daytime's "Days Of Our Lives" consistently finishes among daytime’s top programs in the valuable women 18-34 category. On Saturday mornings, the network broadcasts Qubo on NBC, a three-hour block that features fun, entertaining, and educational programming for kids, including the award-winning, 3-D animated series Veggie Tales.
About A. Smith
A. Smith & Co. Productions creates some of the most innovative, highly-rated and high quality programming for the domestic and international television marketplace. Founded in 2000 by Arthur Smith and Kent Weed, the company has produced over 1100 hours of award-winning programming. The company’s current production slate includes such hits as “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Kitchen Nightmares,” “Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura,” “Full Throttle Saloon,” “Unsung,” “UFC Countdown” and many others. A. Smith & Co.’s library of programming includes hit shows like “The Swan,” “Skating with Celebrities,” “Paradise Hotel,” “Trading Spaces,” and “Pros vs. Joes.” A. Smith & Co. has developed and produced the #1 show in America an astonishing 20 times and a Top 10 show over 75 times. The company has produced programs with budgets totaling approximately a billion dollars, for more than 40 broadcast and cable networks. In 2011, A. Smith & Co. joined forces with Tinopolis Group and in doing so became the leading North American television production entity within the Tinopolis organization with the ability to tap into that company's resources on a worldwide basis.
About Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc.
With over 50 year history of television broadcasting in Japan, Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc. (TBS) along with 37 TBS Group companies constitutes one of the largest media conglomerates in Japan encompassing a wide range of media and business activities including broadcast (nationwide terrestrial TV/radio networks to digital satellite, mobile, and broadband), content production (TV/radio programs, formats, movies, video/DVDs, internet, computer graphics), domestic/overseas distribution, concerts and other events. With long-running hits like America's Funniest Home Videos and MXC, TBS continues to be a strong provider of content in the global arena distributing programs of all genres to over 150 countries. For more information, visit our online program catalog athttp://www.tbs.co.jp/eng/programsales/index.html |
Not surprised. The show does well for G4 and the season finale did pretty well on NBC.