Despite Low Budgets and Rising Prices: The Resilience of Overseas Travel Variety Shows Amidst a Weak Yen

Is the production budget okay? Surprisingly, there are many overseas location shooting programs.

Many travel and location shooting programs continue to air on commercial terrestrial networks. The COVID-19 pandemic now feels like a distant memory, and travel to and from overseas has become smooth. However, it’s often heard that production budgets for commercial programs are still not abundant, and the trend of a weak yen continues. Additionally, reports of exorbitant prices in certain countries are also common.

Despite these circumstances, it can be somewhat surprising to see a relatively high number of overseas location shooting programs.

For instance, popular shows like “Sekai no Hate made Itte Q!” (Let’s Go to the Ends of the Earth) likely have strong sponsorship backing, and single-sponsor programs like “Sekai Fushigi Hakken!” (World’s Mysterious Discoveries) make sense in this context. On the other hand, even programs aired late at night or during weekend afternoons—time slots that presumably don’t command high broadcasting fees—often feature overseas location shoots and travel segments.

So, why is this the case? How are these programs managing to secure funding?

I asked a television writer who works on popular variety and information programs.

In the television industry overall, it’s said that the production budgets for TV shows are generally low. Given this premise, for overseas location shooting programs—except for a few shows with abundant sponsorship—the writer revealed the secret:

“Many times, we manage to reduce costs through tie-ups.”

 He reveals.

 

The key is to make full use of tie-ups and local staff.

According to the aforementioned television writer, overseas location tie-ups can be categorized into two main types:

– Partnerships with local tourism boards

– Partnerships with airlines and local facilities

Sometimes these partnerships are combined. By broadcasting the “images” that the tie-up partners seek and introducing information about them, production budgets for shoots can be reduced.

“In the case of commercial networks, finding ways to keep costs down is a fundamental consideration, not just for overseas shoots. If we have to cover all travel expenses ourselves, it becomes quite challenging,” the writer explains.

Cost reduction also heavily relies on minimizing labor costs. 

“To cut expenses related to airline tickets and hotel costs, we often try to limit the number of staff sent from Japan and hire local staff. In many cases, it’s just the director and the on-screen talent, along with local staff.”

In terms of budget, some one-off programs aired on weekend afternoons may surprisingly have significant budgets allocated to them.