Nippon TV created the original Japanese business-pitch format adapted as the UK series Dragons' Den.
The British programme is based on Money Tigers, a Japanese format developed and broadcast by Nippon Television Network Corporation, commonly known as Nippon TV. The format places entrepreneurs before a panel of wealthy businesspeople who may offer capital for a share of the venture.
The UK adaptation changed the branding and panel terminology for British viewers, calling the investors dragons. It retained the defining elements of the original concept: a formal pitch, intense questioning, valuation discussions and the possibility of investment.
Nippon TV is distinct from NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, and from other major commercial networks such as Fuji TV and TV Asahi. Those names are plausible because all are prominent Japanese broadcasters, but they did not create the format used by the British series.