24-Hour Television Returns After 21 Years with No Former Johnny’s Talent and Masaki Aiba Faces Ratings Crisis

From August 31 to September 1, ’24-Hour Television’ (NTV) will be broadcast. It is a yearly tradition, but there are significant changes in the program’s format this year.

“The main personality system has been abolished. Since ’03 with ‘TOKIO,’ talent from the former Johnny’s Office (now STARTO ENTERTAINMENT) has been in charge, but this year, 24 comedians and actors will appear and challenge various projects. So far, the only former Johnny’s talents participating are Masaki Aiba (41) from ‘Arashi’ and Kaito Takahashi (25) from ‘King & Prince.’ Since Takahashi is only participating in a music project, it is not an exaggeration to say that Aiba is the only former Johnny’s talent involved in the program’s main charity project” (sports newspaper reporter).

Although Aiba is participating, considering that former Johnny’s talents have been the “face” of the program for over 20 years, this year’s ’24-Hour Television’ can be said to be “without former Johnny’s” for fans.

The former Johnny’s Office became a major topic of discussion in 2023 due to sexual misconduct issues involving its founder, Johnny Kitagawa (deceased at 87). Some media reported that NTV reduced the appearance of former Johnny’s talents on ’24-Hour Television’ in response to this issue. However, the internal situation is different.

“There was initially a proposal for STARTO talents to take the main roles, but it was shelved. It seems that STARTO expressed reluctance. NTV faced severe criticism in 2023 after it was discovered that a former executive of its affiliated Japan Sea Television had embezzled ’24-Hour Television’ sales and donation funds. It is said that this negative public reaction led to the offer being declined” (TV station insider).

Even recently, former Johnny’s talents have been prominent on ’24-Hour Television’: ‘King & Prince’ in 2021, ‘Arashi’s’ Kazunari Ninomiya (41) and his ‘Yonino Channel’ in 2022, and ‘Naniwa Danshi’ in 2023. The significant reduction in their appearances could be a major blow to the program. 

The TV station insider continues:

“In the past, talents who took on the main roles would visit local areas for charity project shoots several months before the broadcast and appear on NTV’s variety shows for promotional purposes, making them crucial assets for ’24-Hour Television.’ Among them, STARTO talents, who have significant influence on young people and strong presence on social media, provided immense advertising benefits.

Their presence had always ensured high fan interest even before the broadcast. However, this year, with the absence of the program’s ‘face,’ there is a noticeable lack of excitement.”

In addition to the decreased promotional effect, there are other concerns. ’24-Hour Television’ has traditionally aired a special drama around 9 PM on Saturday nights, a time when viewership tends to increase. The absence of former Johnny’s talents is also impacting this segment.

“This special drama has often featured former Johnny’s talents in the lead roles, from Kazuya Kamenashi (38) of ‘KAT-TUN’ in 2006 to Shunsuke Michieda (22) of ‘Naniwa Danshi’ in 2023. Before and after the broadcast, ’24-Hour Television’ content would trend on X (formerly Twitter), increasing interest in the program. This year, the drama ‘Kinchou no Sumichan: The Woman Who Loved Kinichi Hagimoto,’ starring Atsushi Ito (40) and modeled after Kinichi Hagimoto (83), will air. Given that former Johnny’s talents are not in the main roles for the first time in 21 years, the ratings might be challenging.

Adding to the difficulties, there has been a controversy involving Yasuko (25) and Fuwa-chan (30) related to ‘SNS Defamation,’ which led to last-minute revisions of planned segments. Additionally, the charity marathon involving Yasuko is being reconsidered due to the approach of Typhoon No. 10, leading to further complications. Among those involved, there is a pessimistic view that a drop in ratings this year may be unavoidable” (entertainment industry insider).

With problems arising even before the broadcast, ’24-Hour Television’ faces a tough challenge. Whether NTV can overcome these headwinds and prove its worth as a flagship special remains to be seen.