Japan TV’s Acquisition of Shohei Ohtani’s Broadcasting Rights Leads to Immediate Ban and Surprising Internal Reactions

On June 15th (June 16th Japan time), the U.S. media “Dodgers Nation” reported that MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers had “revoked media credentials” for Nippon TV and Fuji TV.

Regarding this matter, “Shukan Gendai” reported the first news of the “banishment” on the 12th.

“The incident began when both networks reported detailed information about the Los Angeles mansion Shohei Ohtani purchased for $7.85 million (approximately 1.2 billion yen). Some reports included coverage from outside the property, clear aerial photographs, and interviews with nearby residents,” according to a wide show insider.

According to Shukan Gendai, Ohtani reportedly became furious upon seeing this.

In the United States, cases exist where celebrities’ homes have been robbed or family members kidnapped for ransom, which may have led newlywed Ohtani to feel that his “beloved wife” could be in danger.

“Due to concerns for his safety, the Dodgers revoked media credentials for both outlets.”

They reported.

In the current “ban” report, while Fuji TV’s flashy actions often overshadow Nippon TV, according to a commercial television station insider, the timing couldn’t have been worse.

“We never expected Ohtani to perform this well, and NTV hadn’t secured MLB broadcasting rights. Even on news programs like ‘Miyane-ya,’ they had to rely on photos purchased from others, showing Ohtani hitting home runs and such.

They were only able to provide narrations about his performances with purchased photos. With viewers potentially switching to other channels, they rushed to finally sign a contract last April, reportedly paying over 1 billion yen for extensive broadcasting rights. Despite this, losing ‘media credentials’ from the Dodgers in just over a year due to overconfidence.”

However, on the other hand, even watching NTV’s reports, Ohtani’s games are covered almost daily.

“In reality, we haven’t received any contact yet from the production team. We can report on Ohtani’s games and use past footage of Ohtani without any issues if we apply for it. On the 15th, ‘Going! Sports&News’ featured a special segment on Ohtani with commentary from former MLB player Tsuyoshi Nishioka. We extensively used past footage, so even if they say our ‘media credentials’ are revoked, it doesn’t quite register.

Anyway, as long as we have an MLB contract, it’s unclear how much authority the Dodgers hold. There might be restrictions on future interviews through the Dodgers, but the confusion on the ground isn’t that significant. In the first place, it’s because the LA Times reported on the mansion purchase, and the Japanese media just jumped on it,” said an NTV insider.

Even on NTV’s YouTube channel, the news about Ohtani purchasing the mansion is still available for viewing. It introduces the news with “reported by LA Times,” without including interviews from the neighborhood.

Currently, NTV is operating almost as usual. The question remains: what will happen next with the “media credentials revocation” controversy?