Ariyoshi’s career ends this year… NHK is pushing for a “popular comedian” to host the next Kohaku Uta Gassen

On the verge of its second consecutive year with the worst viewer ratings

NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, the national TV program on New Year’s Eve, is about to reach a critical point.

Last year’s broadcast of “The 74th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen” recorded the lowest average household viewership ratings since the program began, at 29% for the first part and 31.9% for the second part (Kanto region, Video Research data). NHK’s official commented, “After last year’s result, NHK internally took a critical look at the situation.

A source at NHK explains, “There is a fear within NHK that last year’s results will make it the second consecutive year with the worst viewer ratings. If this becomes a reality, there could be a debate over a major renewal of the program content. The key to the ratings is the singers, but just as important is the lineup of the hostesses. This year, four names have been announced, including Nahoko Suzuki (42), actress Kanna Hashimoto (25), who will be hosting for the third consecutive year, Sairi Ito (30), who is hosting for the first time, and Hiroyuki Ariyoshi (50), who is hosting for the second time after last year,” said a source close to NHK.

Although the lineup of hosts seems solid, NHK’s upper management is said to be having a hard time with it.

There is a segment of viewers who have a hard time with Ariyoshi. Ariyoshi is popular among the core group (men and women aged 13-49), but his tongue-in-cheek style may not be accepted, and he does not have much support from men and women in their late 50s and older, which is what the Kohaku program focuses on. While Hashimoto and Ito’s potential viewership ratings (the expected viewership ratings a single celebrity can get) for this demographic are as high as 8%, Ariyoshi’s ratings are in the 4% range, which is half of the potential viewership ratings.

Underwater “3-year contract

It would seem that the fact that Ariyoshi is not popular with people in their 50s and older would have been considered when casting the show. …… Why did NHK decide to appoint Ariyoshi for a second consecutive year?

The show is a great opportunity to showcase your talent and your talent to the world. Since Ariyoshi’s schedule around New Year’s Eve, including rehearsal days, had already been secured, he had no choice but to be appointed. However, if the show will have the worst viewer ratings again this year, it is unlikely that they will be able to do so next year, as expected.

So, who should be chosen to host the show in order to get the best ratings? A source from a production company revealed, “SANDWICHMAN is secretly being promoted within the station.

Mikio Date (50) and Takeshi Tomizawa (50) are well-liked by senior viewers, and both have potential viewership ratings exceeding 10%. In this year’s Kohaku, in memory of the late Toshiyuki Nishida (76 years old), it is highly likely that his representative songs “Moshi moshi piano-no-kakeru mono” (If I could play the piano) and “Hana wa saku” (The flowers bloom), which was also a song to support the reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake, will be sung. It is believed that NHK will invite “SANDWICHMAN,” who has ties to the Tohoku region, to participate in that corner. If SANDWICHMAN lives up to expectations and earns good numbers, the “post-Arikichi” position could become a reality.

Will Ariyoshi be the host again next year, or will the “most likable” duo take over? In any case, this year’s numbers will likely hold the key.