MUMBAI: TV Asahi’s talent competition, Song vs Dance, has made a spectacular debut, drawing massive viewership and igniting social media buzz. Premiering on 28 March at 11:15 pm on Channel 5, the high-energy variety show has captivated audiences with its electrifying format.

A co-production between TV Asahi and Smart Dog Media, Song vs Dance redefines entertainment with its action-packed battles between top-tier singers and dancers. The show achieved a 3.5 per cent rating and a 15.9 per cent audience share, making it the second most-watched programme in its time slot across Japan’s six terrestrial channels. It also emerged as the highest-rated artist performance music show of 2025, proving its dominance in the genre.

Beyond TV, Song vs Dance has taken social media by storm. Clips from the show have amassed over 136 million Tiktok impressions, gained 10,000+ new followers, and racked up 7.2 million views on a single video. The buzz propelled the show to fifth place on Yahoo’s SNS trends and third in Android search rankings, highlighting its widespread appeal across generations.

With such a phenomenal response, TV Asahi is set to roll out more exciting episodes to settle the ultimate debate—are you team song or team dance?

TV Asahi stated, "We are delighted to announce a historic milestone in the realm of TV Asahi variety shows. In this unprecedented move, we have embarked on a cross-border project that brought together both US and Japan teams to collaboratively create an entirely new and innovative format. This bold initiative has successfully redefined entertainment, and we are honoured to have achieved this groundbreaking accomplishment."

Produced by Craig Plestis and Clara Plestis of Smart Dog Media, alongside TV Asahi’s Takaaki Kitano, Song vs Dance marks TV Asahi’s first co-production with a U.S.-based production company.