STARTO’s Breach of Duty Creates Deep Rift with NTV Over ‘24-Hour Television’

NTV’s flagship special 24-Hour Television aired from August 31 to September 1.

The ratings were a household average of 12.5% and a peak of 25.4% (both according to Video Research), surpassing last year’s declining trend of a household 11.3% and peak of 24.8%. Additionally, the donation amount at the end of the program was approximately 440 million yen, about twice the amount from the previous year when the group Naniwa Danshi served as the main personality.

This year’s 24-Hour Television faced numerous issues before the broadcast, including the lingering problem of a former executive at the affiliated Nihonkai Television (Tottori City) embezzling donation funds, and concerns about the safety of the charity marathon due to the approach of Typhoon No. 10. An NTV staff member said, “This year was a make-or-break year.

“If the ratings didn’t perform well and sponsors pulled out, we might not be able to air the show next year, so we were determined to achieve good numbers no matter what. We particularly thought the impact of the embezzlement case was severe. There were concerns on site about what we would do if the donation amount turned out to be in the tens of millions or even millions.

The biggest factor for the results being comparable to previous years was undoubtedly Yasuko (25). The sympathy towards Yasuko due to Fuwachan’s (30) SNS defamation trouble worked positively. Therefore, even with the approaching typhoon, there was no option to cancel the marathon. While last year’s total donations, including general contributions, were around 820 million yen, the total amount for this year, which will be announced next month, is expected to significantly exceed that.”

This year’s 24-Hour Television was marked by “unprecedented” events. Particularly striking was the absence of former Johnny’s (now STARTO ENTERTAINMENT) talents who had traditionally served as the main personalities. Since TOKIO in 2003, it had been customary for talents from the former Johnny’s to host the program.

However, this year, for the first time in 21 years, a former Johnny’s talent was not chosen as the main personality. Linked to the agency’s sexual abuse scandal revealed last year, there were voices among fans expressing doubts, such as, “They used Johnny’s talents to gather donations and then turned their backs. I don’t want to watch the show anymore.” However, it turns out the reality was quite the opposite.

 

 

An entertainment agency insider reveals:

“This is the opposite of what people might think. In reality, STARTO decided to withdraw from NTV’s offer. NTV judged that there were no issues with using STARTO’s talents, given the change in the agency’s name and structure. Despite the numerous uncertainties, NTV wanted to include STARTO’s talents as MCs to boost ratings.

However, STARTO determined that partnering with NTV, which was under strong public scrutiny due to issues like the embezzlement scandal and the drama adaptation controversy, would only highlight their own problems. They questioned whether there was any benefit to participating and, after a disagreement, decided to decline the offer.”

Despite trying to rely on a “20-year bond” to escape the crisis, NTV was dismissed. In fact, during the broadcast, while Masaki Aiba (41) of Arashi participated in the “24-hour TV connected by 24 people” segment, only Kaito Takahashi (25) of King & Prince and Takahisa Masuda (38) of NEWS appeared in one corner, showing minimal presence.

However, once the dust settled, it seems that NTV found satisfactory results even without the presence of Johnny’s talents. Within the network, the prevailing sentiment is already shifting towards the notion that former Johnny’s talents may not be necessary in the future.

“We were truly disappointed by STARTO’s ‘betrayal.’ Even if STARTO offers to provide main personalities next year, NTV will likely not accept them. This experience has proven that former Johnny’s talents are sufficient for spot appearances rather than as MCs. It was a valuable lesson to realize that we don’t need to force the use of talents who are not particularly skilled at MCing.” (An NTV mid-level staff member)

Behind the smooth conclusion of the 24-Hour Television broadcast, it seems a deep rift has developed between NTV and STARTO.