YTV premieres Japanizi: Going, Going, Gong! on Tuesday, November 5 at 6 p.m.

Web series and second screen experience puts viewers at the centre of the fun

TORONTO, Oct. 1, 2013 /CNW/ - Corus Entertainment's YTV is dropping viewers into a crazy, colourful Japanese game show world. Japanizi: Going, Going, Gong!, a side-splitting new family game show launching on Tuesday, November 5 at 6 p.m. ET/PT, will have contestants hurling themselves against Velcro walls, sliding on their bellies in penguin suits and wiping out on slippery spinning disks, all in front of a high-energy live studio audience. In this adaptation of the popular series I Survived a Japanese Game Show, audiences will experience the zany world of Japanese game show culture. Along with the hefty dose of slapstick mayhem, the series will be complemented by a web series and a second screen experience. The series is also premiering on Disney XD in the US. Click here for a sneak peek of Japanizi: Going, Going, Gong!

"We're thrilled to add the fun, action-filled world of Japanizi: Going, Gong, Gong! to our schedule this fall," said Jocelyn Hamilton, Vice President, Programming and Original Production, Corus Kids. "The wacky games and physical comedy will tickle the funny bones of kids and their families and the second screen content will bring an extra element of surprise to the action."

Every half hour features four teams of two contestants who are transported into a wacky, larger-than-life Japanese world filled with outrageous obstacles, physical gags and over-the-top characters. Host Yoshi leads the show and enthusiastically announces the outrageous games, while Judge Masa, the series' hyper-intense judge, chooses the winner of each challenge by shouting in Japanese at the top of his lungs. A ninja named Shinobi acts as both the English translator for the contestants and the leader of a group of ninjas who try their best to prevent contestants from winning.

"Japanizi: Going, Going, Gong! will serve up for Canadian kids and their families a true 360 experience through the television series, online games and a synchronized second screen app," said Matt Hornburg, Co-CEO and Executive Producer, marblemedia. "Partnering with YTV, VRAK TV (French Canada) and Disney XD (US) on this zany colourful celebration of Japanese game show culture has truly been a fun-filled ride and we couldn't be happier to unveil all of its hilarity to the world."

An interactive web series debuting on www.japanizi.com in the weeks leading up to the broadcast launch is a prequel that tells the story of how Judge Masa was chosen for his role. Written in the style of a choose-your-own-adventure book, at the end each episode kids decide which door Masa goes through to get to the next episode.

Coinciding with the on air premiere, a second screen experience will draw viewers even deeper into the Japanizi world with multiple choice games and exciting viewpoints from helmet cameras and will be available via a downloadable app for mobile devices as well as online. Also planned to roll out online after the series airs, a sharable meme generator, The Japanizi Super Gif Making BRAIN, and a side-scrolling, four-level game in which players can gain extra codes and an extra game access from the second screen experience.

About YTV
Celebrating 25 years in television, YTV is a leading cross platform entertainment brand for kids and families. The channel offers quality entertainment with hilarious animated and live-action comedy series, popular Nickelodeon series, blockbuster movies, top-rated original Canadian programming, music, celebrities and the channel's after-school block, The Zone. Through its multiple platforms and exclusive digital and interactive content, YTV is the voice of Canadian youth culture. YTV is owned by Corus Entertainment Inc., a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting, children's book publishing, children's animation and animation software. The Company's multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon (Canada), ABC Spark, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), CosmoTV, Sundance Channel (Canada), Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press, Toon Boom and radio stations including CKNW AM 980, 99.3 The FOX, Country 105, 630 CHED, Q107 and 102.1 the Edge. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CJR.B). Visit YTV at www.YTV.com

About marblemedia
marblemedia develops, produces and distributes engaging multiplatform entertainment experiences for audiences around the world. Honoured by Playback with their Outstanding Achievement Award (2013) and named Transmedia Producer of the Year (2011), marble has won two Gemini Awards, been nominated for an Emmy® Award and was identified as a Next Generation Content Producer (2009) by The Hollywood Reporter. The company owns a 50-acre production ranch and operates a Toronto-based studio, home to 50 staff. With over 200 hours of programming distributed in more than 200 territories, notable projects include: the upcoming comedic Japanese game show Japanizi: Going, Going, Gong!; the award-winning hit preschool series This is Daniel Cook and This is Emily Yeung; the award-winning series Taste Buds; Skatoony, North America's first animated/live-action quiz show; the animated comedy Dating Guy; the teen competition series The Adrenaline Project; the physical game show Splatalot; What's in a Name, a discovery of the history behind popular household names; and the first multiplatform series in American Sign Language, deafplanet.com. The company was co-founded by Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg in 2001.
Experience marblemedia at www.marblemedia.com.

All YTV times are ET/PT.

SOURCE: Corus Entertainment Inc.

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For more information, please contact:
Kate Calder 
Publicist  
Corus Entertainment 
416.479.6319
[email protected]