It’s not just Johnny’s fault”… “24-Hour TV” stands at a “crossroads” with a sharp decline in both ratings and donations.

24 Hours TV 46,” a major annual NTV charity program broadcast from August 26 to 27, recorded an average household rating of 11.3% (according to Video Research, Kanto region, hereafter the same).

This year, the popular group “Naniwa Danshi” belonging to the Johnny’s office was cast as the main personality. However, despite the fact that he was preparing for a major role, popular member Daigo Nishihata (26) was reported on August 9 by the news site Bunshun Online to have had a “secret meeting” with Natsuyasu Adachi, 24, an announcer at Yomiuri Television, an affiliate of Nippon TV, dressed as a woman. The news site “Bunshun Online” reported that he was “secretly dressed as a woman” with Natsuyasu Adachi, 24, an announcer at Yomiuri Television, an affiliate of NTV. In addition to the fact that the office is in the midst of the sexual assault case of its founder, Janie Kitagawa, who passed away in 2019, the impact of the love affair scoop seems to have been unavoidable.

The ratings were down 2.5% from last year, the worst since Japanese celebrities have been appointed as the main personalities of “24 Hours TV” every year, as if they were “reserved seats. Many fans come to the event every year to donate to the cause, but the amount of money raised at the end of this year’s show was about 230 million yen, nearly 100 million yen less than last year’s. If this trend continues, the amount of money raised will continue to decline. If the amount of donations continues to decline, the program will lose its raison d’etre as a charity program,” said a reporter in charge of broadcasting.

Not only Nippon TV, but also its affiliate stations have fallen together because of the importance placed on Johnny’s. “Chukyo TV has been the main host of the program,” said a reporter in charge of broadcasting.

Chukyo TV’s main personality was “Bishonen,” which apologized after a series of scandals involving its members came to light. Chukyo TV appointed “Bishonen” as the main personality. Yomiuri TV appointed as the SP supporter the “Ae. group,” whose CD debut during Fuji TV’s “World Cup Volleyball” broadcast was reportedly scrapped due to the sexual assault issue! group, whose CD debut during Fuji TV’s “World Cup Volleyball” broadcast was reportedly scrapped due to the sexual assault issue.

However, the ratings in the Nagoya area were 10.5% and 11.0% in the Kansai area. Of the 11 districts where viewership ratings were tabulated, they were the three worst, along with the Kanto district. The fact that a sex offender’s office was deeply involved in a charity program is a black joke, and the viewers were very harshly criticized by Johnny’s and Nippon TV.

In addition to Naniwa, other highlights of this year’s program included the charity marathon runner Hiromi (58), who was announced on the day of the event, and rakugo storyteller Hayashiya Kikuchi. And rakugo storyteller Hayashiya Kikugumi (85) announced live during the program’s “Charity Okkiri” that he would graduate from “Laugh Spot” next March after 54 years as a regular on the show.

However, this did not seem to have led to higher ratings or donations.

The fact that Hiromi and Kikugumi are the highlights of the show is sure to make the younger viewers lose interest in the show. Although the show claims to be a charity program, in the end the performers are paid a fee, and the number of people who deride the show as “emotional pornography” has been increasing year by year.

In the end, the program is facing so much headwind that its very raison d’etre is being questioned, and there is even talk within the station of terminating the program after its 50th episode, which would be a good time for it to end. At this rate, the program will probably come to an end in 2027, four years from now.

In order to prevent this from happening, it may be time to make a decision to change the style of the program by first discontinuing the use of Johnny’s talents and then fundamentally rethinking the plans for the charity marathon and other events.

Although Johnny’s must be in the midst of a serious crisis due to the sexual assault issue, the upper management of Nippon TV may have already begun to plan for next year.