Blue Ant Studios & Nippon TV Launch Strategic Partnership with New Format: Majority Rules
TORONTO, ON – February 23, 2026 – Blue Ant Studios is pleased to announce that season 3 of the Canadian adaptation of Nippon TV format Old Enough! (6 x 30) has wrapped principal photography and is now in post-production. With filming complete, the new season of the TVOkids Original will bring another round of heart-warming, confidence-building, smile-inducing adventures to audiences in Fall 2026.
Old Enough! is an English language production of Nippon TV’s hit original format of the same name. The series follows Canadian children, ages three to six, as they take on real-world adventures, discovering independence, wonder, and everyday challenges. Each episode highlights how families encourage autonomy, with a safety team providing guidance and support every step of the way.
Seasons 1 and 2 of the Canadian adaptation of Old Enough! will air on prime time in April in Japan on CS Nippon, a leading satellite broadcaster and subsidiary of Nippon TV Holdings.
Blue Ant Studios and Nippon TV’s successful collaboration around Old Enough! has now sparked a larger strategic partnership between the two companies. This will entail working on development and production of unscripted formats coming out of Nippon TV’s Gyokuro Studio, for the North American market.
Today, under this new collaboration, the companies are pleased to unveil Majority Rules, a new social strategy experiment that challenges the societal paradigms of majority/minority – everything from living conditions to how to perform in challenges and who stays in the game is decided by a popular vote. Participants live together in an isolated environment with limited amenities. They must cooperate to improve their collective experience – and potentially their financial gain. Will going with the crowd lead you down a wrong or foolish path, or will it yield you riches? When power belongs to everyone through a vote, who actually wins?
Blue Ant Studios and Nippon TV are soft launching the format at London Screenings and partnering to bring it to the North American market.
“We cannot wait for families across the country to see more extraordinary stories and the joy of watching children step into their growing self-reliance in season 3 of Old Enough!,” said Matt Hornburg, Co-President, Blue Ant Studios. “We value the commitment our partners at TVO have made to this series and we’re equally thrilled to build on our partnership with Nippon TV by announcing Majority Rules. This collaboration allows us to bring a compelling new format to North America and, ultimately, to audiences worldwide,” adds Hornburg.
“This marks a historic milestone for the Canadian adaptation of Old Enough!, one of Nippon TV’s most treasured and beloved formats, as it reaches an impressive third season. It is even more meaningful for our partnership with Blue Ant Studios to successfully ‘re-import’ their outstanding Canadian adaptation back into Japan for CS Nippon, bringing it to audiences who have loved Nippon TV’s Old Enough! for over 30 years,” said Tom Miyauchi, Head of Nippon TV LA Business Office. “Our partnership with Blue Ant Studios has evolved into a dynamic creative alliance, and we have great expectations for future collaborations through Gyokuro Studio. Their trust in our creative vision has been invaluable and we are confident that our latest format, Majority Rules, will prove to be a groundbreaking addition to the global marketplace.”
Executive Producers the Canadian adaptation Old Enough! for Blue Ant Studios are Matt Hornburg, Mark Bishop and Donna Luke. Carly Spencer serves as Series Producer and Eva Filomena serves as Senior Producer. For TVO, Natasha Negrea is the Head of Programming, Kirsten Hurd is Commissioning Editor for TVOKids and Alexandra Roberts is Commissioning Editor for TVO Docs. Old Enough! was produced with the participation of the Canada Media Fund.
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About Blue Ant Studios
An award-winning international production and rights management business, Blue Ant Studios’ diverse slate spans premium factual and high-impact documentaries, competition and entertainment formats, lifestyle, kids, youth and family, comedy, drama and animation, for broadcasters and streamers throughout the world. A division of Blue Ant Media (TSX: BAMI), the Studio encompasses Blue Ant Studios, Insight Productions, Jam Filled Entertainment and Atomic Cartoons. Its award-winning slate includes iconic, fan-favourite shows such as Blown Away, Canada’s Drag Race, Mysteries From Above, Davey and Jonesie’s Locker, Kim’s Convenience, Highway Thru Hell, Top Chef Canada, Northwoods Survival, The Great Canadian Baking Show and Amazing Race Canada.
The Studio’s International distribution arm, Blue Ant Rights, represents over 9,000 hours of acclaimed content from Blue Ant Studios and third-party producers, maximizing rights opportunities and connecting buyers with programming that resonates with global audiences. With offices in Toronto, London, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Ottawa, Halifax, Singapore, Sydney, and Vancouver the studio is well-positioned in key markets worldwide. blueantmedia.com⎮Instagram⎮LinkedIn blueantmedia.com⼁Instagram⼁LinkedIn
About Nippon TV
Nippon TV is Japan’s leading multiplatform entertainment powerhouse, as well as owner of streaming giant Hulu in Japan. Nearly 90% of its content IP is fully owned by Nippon TV and the company has been active in bringing its content to the international market in the form of anime, ready-made programs, formats, and through co-production partnerships.
The company has also recently announced Nippon TV LA Business Office, the co-development and sales headquarters for US/LatAm, dedicated to unscripted formats.
About Gyokuro Studio
Gyokuro Studio, launched by Nippon TV, the Japan-based multi-platform entertainment powerhouse, is an in-house production studio dedicated to developing premium content including unscripted formats for the global market. Gyokuro Studio co-creates with top in-house talent as well as leading independent creators to deliver premium Japanese content to the world. The studio is headed by Ken Akiyama, who has served in key roles such as the chief producer of multiple prime time entertainment shows at Nippon TV. Akiyama has been crucial behind the development of unscripted formats including Block Out, which has been successfully adapted in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia, Spain, and the Netherlands, Pharaoh!, and Meet Me There, while also producing branded content for luxury houses such as Cartier, Boucheron, and FENDI in Japan. Nippon TV website⼁LinkedIn⼁Nippon TV LA Business Office⼁Gyokuro
About TVO Media Education Group
TVO Media Education Group inspires learning that changes lives and enriches communities. Founded in 1970, we are a globally recognized digital learning organization that engages Ontarians of all ages with inclusive experiences and diverse perspectives. Through our brands TVO Today, TVO Learn, TVO ILC and TVOkids, we’re investing in the transformative potential of education for everyone. TVO is a registered charity funded in part by the Province of Ontario and supported by thousands of sponsors and donors. Visit TVO.me for more information.
For more information, please contact:
Yuki Akehi, Head of Global Communications, Nippon TV yuki-tak@ntv.co.jp
Chihiro Shizawa, Global Communications, Nippon TV chihiro4@ntv.co.jp
Kate Calder, Director, Communications, Blue Ant Media, kate.calder@blueantmedia.com