Which company created the Japanese format later adapted as BBC's Dragon's Den?

Nippon Television created the Japanese format later adapted as BBC's Dragon's Den.

The British series belongs to an international format lineage developed by Nippon Television in Japan. The original Japanese programme, Money Tigers, established the idea of entrepreneurs presenting proposals to wealthy investors in a tense studio setting.

That format was adapted for the United Kingdom as Dragon's Den and for other markets under different titles. The investor panel, negotiation process and equity-based proposals are the central elements that connect the versions.

Nippon Television is also widely known as NTV. This can create ambiguity in answers, because “NTV” is an abbreviation and other broadcasters in different countries use similar initials. The full English name, Nippon Television, is the clearest canonical answer for the company behind the original format.