SnowMan, but no Kohaku… What STARTO gained by winning the “NHK OK” to appear on NHK.

NHK and STARTO have been negotiating since the summer.

On November 19, the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen (75th annual Kohaku Uta Gassen) was announced by the station.

The 10 first-time entrants are ILLIT, ME:I, and tuki. in the red group, and Omoinotake, Creepy Nuts, Kocchi no Kento, Dai-iCE, Tomorrow x Together, Number_i, and Shinhama Leon in the white group. This year, Hiroyuki Ariyoshi, Kanna Hashimoto, Sairi Ito, and announcer Nahoko Suzuki will host the event.

On the other hand, not a single group from the former Johnny’s office (STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, hereafter STARTO company), which had been rumored to participate, was selected. An entertainment industry insider with behind-the-scenes knowledge said, “NHK and STARTO have been working together since the summer.

NHK and STARTO had been in negotiations since the summer, and NHK wanted two of the most popular groups, Snow Man and Six Tones, to be selected, but STARTO wanted four.

On October 16, NHK “lifted the ban” on the use of new talent from STARTO. NHK Chairman Nobuo Inaba said at a regular press conference

In addition to efforts to compensate the victims and prevent recurrence, we have confirmed that the separation of the management of the two companies (SMILE-UP and STARTO) is making steady progress.

and declared that he would give the OK for the performance at the discretion of the production site.

However, it would be difficult to suddenly put several groups on Kohaku. Negotiations with STARTO had been conducted constructively until “that time.

The “that time” was the October 20 broadcast of the NHK special “The Realities of Janie Kitagawa’s ‘Idol Empire.

The report summarizes the sexual assault of the late Mr. Janie Kitagawa and reports on the “reality” of SMILE, a company that promotes compensation services. A phone call between Sachiko, the sister of the late Ryo Nakatani, a member of the first generation of Johnny’s, and a representative of SMILE caused a firestorm on the Internet.

The person in charge said, “I don’t understand who is apologizing for what.

Higashiyama is not the perpetrator.

The person in charge of the case was later told that the person in charge was not a member of the company and that he was not in charge of the case. The person in charge was later removed from his position. According to a person involved in the music industry,

I guess STARTO doesn’t need to be humble to participate in Kohaku.

In fact, “no Kohaku” was the only show that was broadcasted. In fact, there are not that many fans lamenting the “no Kohaku” situation.

A fan in her twenties said, “There are no girls around me who watch Kohaku. I would be happier if the group did a live broadcast on New Year’s Eve like they did last year. I want them to hold an event just for the fans.

He speaks of the “sales side” of STARTO.

A big step forward for STARTO’s “sales side

STARTO has already achieved its immediate goals. The aforementioned music industry insider said that NHK’s “endorsement” of the event was “more significant than anything else in terms of sales.

“It was more significant than anything else in terms of sales,” he said.

The music industry is already making progress in this area. Due to the series of sexual assaults, the former Johnny’s’s office had more than 200 sponsorship contracts with various sponsors, large and small, but these contracts were drastically reduced. Finally, they had to drop the “golden plate” of the Johnny’s office, but even so, “the return of sponsors was slow.

However, the return of sponsors was sluggish. It is said that the number of sponsors has decreased by more than 100 since its heyday,” said a music industry insider.

(a music industry insider). In such a situation, NHK played the role of “litmus paper” for the decision of whether or not to use the song. According to an agency official, “NHK gave us the go-ahead for the performance.

A source at the agency said, “Since NHK gave the go-ahead for the appearance, sponsors are gradually coming back to the station. Unlike commercial broadcasters, public broadcasters have a strict screening process for appearances. Since NHK gave the OK, many companies may have taken it as a sign that the sexual assault issue has been put to rest.

With the return of sponsors, which had been the biggest concern, STARTO is regaining power like Johnny’s used to have.

The Kohaku Koshien was under the strong influence of the late Mr. Mary Kitagawa. When he allowed up to seven groups to perform, some said it was too much, but it was also a reflection of the high regard he had for Kohaku. After Mr. Merry passed away, Mr. Jun Fukuda, who is said to be avant-garde, became president. If they think that they don’t have to appear in Kohaku, they will have a tough time negotiating next year and beyond,” said a music industry insider.

Therefore, questions were sent to STARTO regarding NHK’s request for four groups to participate in Kohaku and the return of sponsor companies, but no answers were received by the deadline.

Depending on the ratings for this year’s Kohaku, it is likely that the program will develop into a going concern – and the program will continue to exist.