MUMBAI: Japanese pay TV broadcaster Wowow has acquired exclusive Japanese broadcast rights to two new US TV series namelyThe Player from Sony Pictures Television; and Zoo from CBS Studios International. 

Set to premiere in Japan on Wowow in Spring 2016, The Player debuted in the US this month. Zoo will debut on Wowow later this year.

The Player had its US network premiere on NBC on 24 September, 2015. The story tracks former FBI agent Alex Kane, who becomes a reluctant player in an age-old secret society’s perverse game of chance, where the stakes are measured in criminal acts and human lives.

The lead cast of The Player includes Philip Winchester, Charity Wakefield, Damon Gupton and Wesley Snipes.

The Player is written by John Rogers, who is also executive producer alongside John Davis, John Fox and director Bharat Nalluri. The series is produced by Kung Fu Monkey and Davis Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television.

The CBS series Zoo will premiere exclusively in Japan beginning this New Year holiday season and will be presented as an ‘every night marathon,’ giving the audiences the opportunity to ‘binge view’ the popular program. Wowow will screen the 13-episode debut season over four nights – starting at 10 pm each night from 30 December to 3 January.

Zoo, based on the #1 bestselling novel by James Patterson, is a global thriller about a wave of violent animal attacks against humans sweeping the planet. Among principal cast of Zoo are James Wolk, Kristen Connolly, Billy Burke, Nonso Anozie and Nora Arnezeder.

Creators of Zoo are Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg, who also serve as executive producers with Michael Katleman, James Mangold, Cathy Konrad, James Patterson, Bill Robinson, Leopoldo Gout and Steve Bowen. The series is produced by CBS Television Studios and the first season aired on CBS in the US Summer 2015.