Record Low Viewership of “Kohaku Uta Gassen” at 30%… Factors of the Disastrous Failure of “Kohaku Uta Gassen” and the Threat of Free Live Streaming by the Former Johnny’s

The average household viewership ratings for the 74th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen (NHK) broadcast on New Year’s Eve in the Kanto region were released by Video Research. The first part (19:20-20:55) was 29.0%, and the second part (21:00-23:45) was 31.9%, falling below 30% for the first time since 1989, when the two-part system was introduced, and far below the record low of 34.3% in 2009 for the second part, Both the first and second sections recorded record lows.

The entertainment desk of a sports newspaper looks back on the disastrous Kohaku.

The sports newspaper’s entertainment desk reflected on the disastrous Kohaku, saying, “Although the results were very harsh, the three-person lineup of Hiroyuki Ariyoshi (49), Minami Hamabe (23), who was hosting the show for the first time, and Kanna Hashimoto (24), who played the major role of host for two consecutive years, looked fresh and new. Hashimoto’s magnificent performance was particularly remarkable, and I think the hosts put up a valiant effort that deserves to be commended. There were some highlights, such as the surprise appearance of Ms. Kuroyanagi (Tetsuko, 90) in the special program slot for the 70th year of TV broadcasting, Ms. Yakushimaru (Hiroko, 59) performing “Sailor Suit and Machine Gun” and Mr. Terao (Satoshi, 76) performing “Ruby Ring”.

What was the reason for the record low viewer ratings? A staff member of a record company analyzes.

The most damaging factor was that there were no big-name artists who could be called the main attraction of the show, and they failed to attract public attention. There were many exciting performances by four Japanese and Korean dance and vocal groups, including JO1, BE:FIRST, Stray Kids, and SEVENTEEN, who are popular among young people, as well as YOASOBI singing their worldwide hit “Idol” for the first time on a music program and collaborating with other contestants, but there was no decisive factor that made people want to watch the show in real time. The result reflected the fact that there was no decisive factor that made people want to watch the show in real time.

There are other reasons as well. A person involved in the entertainment industry says, “The presence of a rival program that succeeded in attracting middle-aged and older viewers was a major factor.

The show was “Zawatsuku,” which featured a splendid cast including Hideki Kuriyama (62), the coach who led the Samurai Japan team to the world championship, and Yutaka Mizutani (71) and Yasufumi Terawaki (61), stars of the drama “Partners season 22,” which has a strong fan base among middle-aged and older viewers! New Year’s Eve Ichimo Ryozumi Chisako no Kai” (TV Asahi) averaged 12.3% household viewer rating in the Kanto region, ranking first in viewer rating for the program behind Kohaku. The 56th Toshiwasure Nippon no Uta” (TV Tokyo), also broadcast live for six hours directly behind Kohaku, also satisfied the middle-aged and older viewers. Ken Matsudaira (70) wowed the audience with “Matsuken Samba II,” and many enka veterans, including Saburo Kitajima (87), Masao Sen (76), and Takashi Hosokawa (73), performed. I think one of the reasons for this is that these programs ate up the viewers.

The Kohaku Uta Gassen was a dismal failure. As two of the above-mentioned persons involved in the event said, there were various possible reasons for the failure. However, one of the most important reasons for the decline is the “no appearances by former Johnny’s talents”. This year’s Kohaku was the first time in 44 years that “zero groups” from the former Johnny’s office (now SMILE-UP.) participated in the festival due to the sex-abuse issue by the late Johnny Kitagawa.

On the other hand, the free live streaming program set up by the former Johnny’s group was a great success. A number of popular groups distributed live performances on SNS and other social networking sites. Among them, Snow Man performed live on their official YouTube channel for about an hour and a half, and the number of simultaneous connections swelled to 1.33 million. This is Japan’s all-time record for the number of simultaneous connections. An employee of a commercial key station sighed as he explained, “The creative and ingenious plan was a great success.

However, looking at the results alone, NHK was unable to fill the void left by the former Johnny’s talents. On the contrary, Snow Man and other members of the old Johnny’s group have achieved astonishing numbers in free live broadcasts, and those in the know have come to believe that “in the end, you can’t get ratings without relying on Johnny’s.” Of course, the performance of each of the old Johnny’s groups is not enough to get viewers to tune in.

Of course, the performances by each of the old Johnny’s groups were excellent. It was their efforts that were viewed by many people. But it is another matter to become more dependent on the office again. I am concerned that the bad relationship between the former Johnny’s office and the various stations may not be able to be broken after the results of this year’s festival. It may also be time to reevaluate the existence of Kohaku itself. Whether or not NHK can live up to the expectations of its viewers ……. There is no doubt that NHK was faced with a difficult decision.

The Kohaku Uta Gassen drew a lot of attention from industry insiders. How will NHK and the civilian key stations react to the “lowest viewership rating”?