Wide Na Show Shadowed by Matsumoto’s Curse Amidst Rumors of Cancellation

Due to focusing on a civil lawsuit against Bungeishunju, the publisher of Weekly Bunshun, which reported allegations of sexual misconduct, Downtown’s Hitoshi Matsumoto (60) has suspended his entertainment activities. His absence from the TBS program “Crazy Journey” aired on February 19 led to all regular programs undergoing a shift without Matsumoto.

However, the program that seems to have suffered the most serious damage involving Matsumoto is the Fuji TV information program “Wide Na Show,” which he supposedly graduated from in March last year.

“Since its start in October 2013 in the late-night slot, Matsumoto has been a steadfast regular, even after the program moved to Sunday mornings. He became a bi-weekly guest from April 2022 and then graduated from the show with the broadcast on March 19, 2023, with the start of hosting Matsumoto to Nakai.

However, amidst the current turmoil, Matsumoto declared on his personal SNS account, ‘I’ll be on Wide Na Show,’ and appeared on the program aired on January 14. Despite Fuji trying to prevent it, Matsumoto’s ongoing influence is still perceived by viewers. As a result, TBS’s ‘Sunday Japan’ (hereafter referred to as ‘Sanjapo’) has been consistently outperforming in ratings week after week, actively covering Matsumoto’s news.” (Source from Fuji TV)

In the beginning of the year, the average household viewer ratings for Wide Na Show on January 14, the day Matsumoto announced his appearance, was 6.0% (according to Video Research, Kanto region, same below). Sanjapo achieved 10.4%. At this point, the difference wasn’t significant, but from January 21 onwards, “Wide Na Show” saw a decline with ratings of 6.0%, 4.9%, and 4.5%, dropping sharply to 3.6% on February 11. Meanwhile, Sanjapo maintained strong ratings with 11.9%, 11.7%, 12.0%, and 9.8%, establishing a significant lead over Wide Na Show.

“On the 18th of this month, it was the first broadcast of both programs since the announcement of Matsumoto’s and Bunshun’s first oral arguments scheduled for March 28. Despite this, Wide Na Show only had a brief 30-second segment and achieved a rating of 4.0%. Meanwhile, Sanjapo devoted ample time to the topic and garnered 10.5%. Recently, even their competing program, Arashi’s Ninomiya Kazunari’s (40) flagship show Nino-san (on Nippon TV), achieved high ratings in the 7-9% range. Wide Na Show has consistently fallen behind, securing its position as the third in viewership among commercial key stations.” (Broadcast reporter)

The MC of the same program is Koji Higashino (56), who has co-starred with Matsumoto in numerous shows including the legendary comedy program “Gottsu Ee Kanji” (hereafter, Gottsu – Fuji TV). On the program aired on December 29th last year, just after the report of Matsumoto’s alleged sexual misconduct, Higashino commented, “I was a bit surprised.” Furthermore, Koji Imada (57), who also appeared on “Gottsu” with Higashino, testified, “I’ve never heard such comments from Matsumoto, like the ones written in the article. I’ve been to mixers with him many times.”

“Back in January, the program approached the allegations of sexual misconduct under the premise of maintaining a neutral stance. However, the unmistakable Matsumoto program vibe couldn’t be shaken off, leaving viewers feeling increasingly disheartened.” (Same source)

 

From the outset, last year, when Matsumoto, a pillar of the program, stepped down, the show began to lose momentum, and rumors of its cancellation began to circulate. Then, with the recent allegations of sexual misconduct, the program found itself caught in the crossfire, firmly tethered to Matsumoto’s curse. The program Wide Na Show has become ensnared in Matsumoto’s curse, even after taking a hit from his departure last year. Takashi Tachibana, a former NHK employee and leader of the Protecting the People from NHK Party, addressed the program in a video uploaded to YouTube on the 13th.

In the opening of the video, Mr. Tachibana firmly asserts about the program, “It’s completely finished, isn’t it?” He predicts the earliest possible end date to be March, stating, “Even if they extend it, it’ll probably be until autumn, September at the latest.” Furthermore, he criticizes the program for not addressing Matsumoto’s topic in the broadcast on the 11th, bluntly stating, “It’s not a ‘Wide’ ‘Show’ anymore.”

Firstly, it’s likely that the commercial sponsors will withdraw during the April reshuffle. If the program continues to lag far behind Sanjapo, it will have no reason to exist, making its cancellation highly probable during the autumn reshuffle. It seems it may indeed end as the conclusion Mr. Tachibana predicted.

After Matsumoto’s first oral argument, the most recent broadcast of Wide Na Show was on March 31. That broadcast may be his last chance for a comeback.

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