Masaki Aiba’s Ratings Reign Returns, Surpassing “Snow Man” | FRIDAY DIGITAL

Masaki Aiba’s Ratings Reign Returns, Surpassing “Snow Man”

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In fact, they were the “King of Viewer Ratings”⁉

Popular group “Snow Man,” affiliated with SMILE-UP. (formerly Johnny’s Entertainment), set a new record for “YouTube Live simultaneous connections” recognized by the Japan Record Certification Association, with over 1.33 million simultaneous connections during their live stream on New Year’s Eve last year.

While the group is the only one within its agency to have a regular program in the golden prime time slot (7:00 PM to 11:00 PM, hereinafter referred to as the GP slot) with “Sore Snow Man ni Yarasete Kudasai (Sore Snow),” airing on TBS on Friday evenings at 8:00 PM, despite the highly successful live stream, its viewership ratings are known to struggle.

“Originally, ‘Sore Snow’ started as a special program in the late-night slot. It moved to Sunday afternoons in April 2021 and advanced to the GP slot in April last year. When it was broadcast in the daytime slot, it had a relaxed atmosphere with many interesting segments. However, after moving to the GP slot with a more substantial budget, it seems that many of the segments did not resonate with viewers. The average household viewership ratings for January broadcasts were 4.3% on the 12th, 4.9% on the 19th, and 5.1% on the 26th (according to Video Research, Kanto region). It consistently ranks fourth among the key commercial networks in the same time slot. If things continue like this, there might be another time slot change.” (TBS insider)

Currently, among other former Johnny’s groups, Arashi’s Masaki Aiba (41) holds regular programs in the GP slot. He took over the time slot of Arashi’s flagship program, “VS Arashi,” with “Ki7◎×Bu” (Fuji TV, Thursdays at 7:00 PM), and also hosts “I LOVE Minna no Doubutsuen” (NTV, Saturdays at 7:00 PM), which succeeded the late Ken Shimura’s show “Genius! Shimura Zoo.” Additionally, outside of the GP slot, he appears as the host of “Aiba Manabu” (TV Asahi, Sundays at 6:00 PM).

Sho Sakurai (42) of Arashi originally took over the time slot of Arashi’s flagship program, “Arashi ni Shiyagare,” with “Zenkoku Gotouchi News Variety: 130 Million People’s Show Channel” (NTV, Saturdays at 9:00 PM). He also appears as a regular on “Sakurai Ariyoshi The Night” (TBS, Thursdays at 10:00 PM), alongside comedian Hiroshi Araki (49). Additionally, following “SHOW Channel,” the sequel to the leading drama, “Shin Kuko Senkyo” (NTV, Saturdays at 10:00 PM), is currently airing.

Of the two’s regular programs, Aiba’s “Ki7 ◎x Club” has long been in a ratings slump, and although there were whispers of its termination, it will reportedly be moved to the Kanto local slot from April and continue. On the other hand, Sakurai’s “Show Channel” is set to end in March, although the ratings have not been that low.

“Sakurai’s ‘Shin Kuko Senkyo’ started on January 13th, and the ratings for the first three episodes have been stable in the 7% range. The focus now is on whether it will continue to grow. However, Aiba’s two regular programs are surpassing it.

In January broadcasts, ‘Aiba Manabu’ maintained ratings in the high 8% to low 9% range, while ‘Minna no Doubutsuen’ consistently maintained double-digit ratings. The reason for their stable high viewership ratings is likely due to the themes of cooking and animals, which are popular across all age groups.

It’s probably because Aiba’s genuine personality on the show reflects the image that people have of him, which is why he is supported by various generations. Additionally, his straightforwardness towards the agency, compared to other talents who may turn away from it, has made him the agency’s top favorite, leading to him having three regular programs.” (Television station insider)

 

Aiba quietly gained the title of “ratings king” among former Johnny’s talents without much fanfare. While younger talents from the same agency have been emerging as the next generation, Aiba has been steadily increasing his presence.

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Aiba and Kazunari Ninomiya at the Kohaku rehearsal in December ’19.
This year was their 11th appearance in Kohaku, and they performed as the last performer in the white group.
On stage, they performed “Arashi x Kohaku Special Medley. They also performed “NHK 2020 song ‘Kite,'” written and composed by Genshi Yonezu, for the first time.
  • PHOTO Kazuhiko Nakamura

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