Akina, Seiko… Why this year’s “Kohaku Uta Gassen” is likely to have historic ratings

“This year’s New Year’s Eve is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said an NHK official with a sense of excitement.

This year’s New Year’s Eve show is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said an NHK official with a sense of excitement.

NHK’s annual “Kohaku Uta Gassen” will be broadcast again this year on December 31. Once a “haunted program” with viewer ratings exceeding 50%, it has been rumored to be going “wacko” with the passing of time.

Last year, the program’s average viewer rating was 34.3%, down 6 points from the previous year and the lowest ever since 1989, when the program was divided into two parts (according to Video Research). This spring, it was reported in some media that the station’s chairman, Akinobu Maeda, was considering discontinuing Beni.

The first was NHK’s signature announcer Maho Kuwako, and the second was actor Hiroshi Oizumi, who played Minamoto no Yoritomo in the historical drama “Kamakuradono no 13-nin” (The Thirteen Nuns of Kamakura). actor Hiroshi Oizumi. This was the third consecutive year that the two have been paired together.

A surprise was the selection of actress Kanna Hashimoto as the third host. The third host was actress Kanna Hashimoto, and the new special navigator was Sho Sakurai of “Arashi,” who is currently on hiatus.

The singers and hostesses of the Kohaku are selected based on their contribution to NHK as well as their name recognition and popularity,” said Mr. Hashimoto. However, Mr. Hashimoto has never appeared in a historical drama or starred in a morning drama. In a sense, her appointment from the outside has come as a surprise.

Hashimoto herself took to Twitter to announce the news of her decision to host the show.

I’m still wondering if it might be a dream. I’m still wondering if it’s a dream. When I heard about it, I thought, “What? The host? Me? I couldn’t believe my ears. I couldn’t believe my ears.

I was surprised to hear that I was the MC,” he responded frankly. He continued

Now that the announcement has been made, I feel that I must fulfill the very honorable role of Kohaku host! I feel like I have to fulfill my role as the host of Kohaku!

I am very honored to be the host of Kohaku, and I will do my best to fulfill this role.

It is true that looking at her achievements as an actress alone, it is hard to deny that she is slightly inferior to the previous hosts. However, Hashimoto is extremely popular among the younger generation, which is NHK’s focus.

She was ranked No. 1 in the “Favorite Actor (Female) by High School Students,” No. 2 in the “Favorite Gen Z Actor/Actress Survey,” and No. 2 in the “Face I Want to Be” ranking. In the “Face I Want to Be” ranking, she is ranked No. 2, and she is flying high. A source at the TV station mentioned above said, “NHK is trying to attract younger generations.

NHK is putting a lot of effort into attracting the younger generation. Of course, since she has been selected for a major role, it is certain that Hashimoto will become “NHK’s preferred actress” from next year onward.

He also said that “Hashimoto-san will certainly become ‘NHK’s Recommended Actress’ from next year onward.

Similarly, the casting of Arashi’s Sakurai was made with the needs of the young and middle-aged generations above Generation Z in mind.

“It is obvious that they prepared the post of special navigator in order to pull Ms. Sakurai out. Next year, Jun Matsumoto of Arashi fame will star in the drama “What to do about Ieyasu,” and I am sure he will be sitting in the judges’ chair on stage.

I am sure he will be sitting on the judges’ panel, and will probably have an exchange with Mr. Sakurai across the stage. Arashi fans look forward to this kind of interaction.

After covering the teens to 40s age group with Hashimoto and the Arashi members, it will be the seniors. Here, the contestant singers are expected to surprise the audience. A music industry insider reveals in a hushed voice, “Last year, we were expecting the last performer to be the last one.

Seiko Matsuda, who was expected to be the last performer last year but had to withdraw due to the sudden death of her beloved daughter Sayaka Kanda, is expected to return to the stage. Also mentioned is Akina Nakamori, who has set up her own private agency and is now working toward a comeback.

It is said that the former may perform a new song she wrote for Sayaka in heaven. It is said that the former will perform a new song she wrote for Sayaka in heaven. As for the latter, there is some confusion over the establishment of an office, but NHK and Nakamori have already agreed on a general plan for her participation in the festival. The only thing that remains is her physical condition.

Shizuka Kudo, who celebrated the 35th anniversary of her solo debut this year, is also a strong contender. An entertainment reporter for a sports paper said

Shizuka has been actively appearing on NHK’s singing programs, perhaps with the Kohaku contest in mind. The station seems to welcome her as well. I hear that she is also very enthusiastic about it.

I hear that she is also very enthusiastic about it,” she said.

The other stations that will be hosting the Kohaku contest include NTV’s “Downtown’s Gaki no Tsukashiya Aahenden! series, which was a “strong opponent” of NTV, is not scheduled to be broadcast again this year. Even “RIZIN,” a fighting tournament that attracts many male viewers, is expected to be broadcast on a pay-per-view basis after Fuji Television pulled out due to a series of “black dating” reports. Fuji Television is expected to pull out of the event, and it will be broadcast on a pay-per-view basis.

NHK is breathing down NHK’s neck,” said a source at the aforementioned TV station.

NHK is breathing down their necks,” said a TV station official. It remains to be seen whether Kohaku will return to its old status.