With “MUSIC” Facing Possible Cancellation Amid Declining Viewership Nippon TV Reportedly Pleads

Nippon TV executives are said to be very angry with Yumiko Udo.

Nippon TV is reportedly undergoing a major programming overhaul. They are in the process of selecting shows with poor ratings that will be canceled by March of next year, while simultaneously soliciting new ideas from their staff.

One of the top candidates for cancellation is With MUSIC.

“Yumiko Udo (55) voluntarily left news zero to start this show, with the hope of fulfilling her own wishes. However, the ratings have failed to improve. The September 14th episode, which featured the first music show appearance by the members of New Map, made headlines, but the household viewership was only 6%. Despite Udo’s long-time contributions to news zero, there was initially a sentiment of ‘let’s give it time.’ However, after Udo started Udo Times on TV Asahi in October, the executives at Nippon TV were furious, thinking, ‘Why is she working for another network after quitting our news program?'”

There’s a history of tension between Udo and Nippon TV, dating back to when Kurumisuchū’s Shinya Ueda hosted Oshareism, and after its end, Ueda appeared on TV Asahi’s Kurumisuchū Nantara in the same time slot. Udo and Kurumisuchū are represented by the same agency, which further fueled tensions. Nippon TV executives have reportedly said, “We will no longer hesitate with Udo.”

Despite this, why is Nippon TV so desperate now?

Nippon TV has long prioritized the core ratings (13–49-year-old demographic), setting this as a key indicator for program development. However, this year, they began shifting to focus even more on core ratings, but by June, the approach was reportedly destabilizing.

“Even programs favored by older viewers were altered to cater to core ratings, resulting in major changes in both the show’s format and the cast, which led to a drop in viewership. The programming division hastily reverted the strategy back to its original method, but it was too late. As a result, they are now considering canceling shows with poor ratings by March next year,” said a producer from a production company.