Even without relying on Korean teams and bizarre performances… “The bright light seen in B’z” by the Kohaku Uta Gassen, even though it ranked 2nd worst in viewer rating.

Concerns that could not be dispelled even before the broadcast

The average household viewership ratings for the 75th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen (NHK) broadcast on New Year’s Eve were announced as 29.0% for the first part and 32.7% for the second part (according to Video Research, Kanto region). This was the second-lowest rating since 1989, when the two-part system was introduced, and the 10th time in four consecutive years that the ratings have fallen below 40%.

While the first section remained unchanged at 29.0%, the second section rose 0.8 points to 31.9% from the previous record low of 29.0%. The second part, however, was up 0.8 percentage points to 31.9%. The entertainment desk of a sports newspaper looks back on this year’s Kohaku.

Ryo Yajima, the general manager of the Kohaku Implementation Division, commented on the quality of the performance, saying, “I think we were able to present the best live entertainment, a true ‘festival of song’ befitting the end of the year ‘2012. The ratings for the first part of the festival remained unchanged from last year, but the second part, which featured first-time performers such as B’z and Number_i, who gave overwhelming performances, as well as famous artists, was able to recover and avoid breaking the worst record. Still, looking at the results alone, it is probably true that we could not be happy with the results.

This year’s Kohaku was the subject of a series of negative reports even before the broadcast. In addition, the Kohaku Biennale struggled to put together the lineup that the public wanted, including the appearance of Akina Nakamori (59), who had been rumored until just before the event but did not make it. As a result, even before the broadcast, the show was said to have “no choice but to break the record for the worst viewer rating ever. One of the hosts, Hashimoto, was the only one who was not a member of the cast.

The ratings for “Omusubi,” a morning TV series starring Kanna Hashimoto (25), one of the hosts, were sluggish. Then, with STARTO’s talent failing to participate for the second year in a row and the failure to coordinate the participation of Nakamori and other big-name singers who should have been the centerpiece of the show, a tough battle was inevitable.

The rapid pursuit of the rivals directly behind Kohaku also posed a major threat. A major advertising agency official explained.

Snow Man, a member of STARTO, held a live broadcast titled “Snow Man Special Live – Enjoy New Year’s Eve with Everyone! 2024 – 2025″ for about three and a half hours, recording a maximum number of 1.26 million simultaneous viewers. The previous year’s New Year’s Eve live-streaming on YouTube recorded a maximum of 1.33 million simultaneous viewers, the most in YouTube’s Japanese history at the time, and this trend established by STARTO and Snow Man will continue in the future.”

Going back to the “origin” line, the key to revival

The commercial key broadcasters also made a notable effort.

The second part of the “New Year’s Eve 2024: Ichimo Yoshizumi Chisako no Kai” (TV Asahi), hosted by Kazushige Nagashima (58), Yoshizumi Ishihara (62), and Chisako Takashima (56), had an average rating of 12.5%! New Year’s Eve 2024,” hosted by Kazushige Nagashima (58), Yoshizumi Ishihara (62), and Chisako Takashima (56), averaged a 12.7% household rating for the second part, topping all commercial TV stations for the fourth consecutive year. The third part of “New Year’s Eve All-Star Sports Festival” (TBS), which attracted a lot of attention with the appearance of Suzu Hirose (26) and others, also achieved an average household rating of 7.2%, which can be called a good performance for the first year-end special program.

Although Kohaku narrowly avoided the worst record, the results remained harsh. However, an entertainment industry insider pointed out that a ray of hope may have been shed for the future.

B’z’s surprise live singing performance at the NHK Hall enthralled viewers of all ages and genders, and the number of views on NHK’s official YouTube page was astounding.

Neither the massive injection of K-POP artists nor the bizarre special programs could match the impact of B’z’s mesmerizing performance. By going back to the essence of the Kohaku Uta Gassen and having talented artists perform and sing well, I think we were able to prove that Kohaku is still a necessary content.

This year’s Kohaku Uta Gassen was again full of controversy. Can the Kohaku Uta Gassen once again become a place that delivers the “best live entertainment” that the public desires?