Comedy Competitions: The Unexpected Lifeline for a Struggling TV Industry

Nippon TV and Yomiuri TV will broadcast for the first time this summer the comedy competition “Double Impact – The No.1 Dual-Wield Comedian Championship,” which evaluates both manzai and conte to determine the ultimate two-way comedian.

“Currently, all key networks except TV Tokyo host large-scale comedy competitions. Nippon TV also organizes ‘The W – Women’s No.1 Comedy Championship,’ but since it airs at the end of the year, they likely scheduled this one for summer to avoid overlap,” says a production company director.

A broadcast writer reveals the hidden reason why comedy competitions have never been held in the summer before:

“The reason ‘M-1 Grand Prix’ (TV Asahi) temporarily ended in 2010 was reportedly due to an overload of competitions from fall to winter. To fill the gap, ‘THE MANZAI’ (Fuji TV) launched in 2011, and there were discussions within the network about holding it in the summer. However, Shinsuke Shimada (68), who was set to be the tournament’s head judge, insisted that award competitions should be held at the end of the year. Yoshimoto executives at the time agreed, and the idea was scrapped. But with Shimada retired and Yoshimoto’s leadership changed, a summer competition has finally become a reality.”

A cost-effective gateway to success

Comedy competitions are profitable not only for TV networks that can secure high ratings but also for Yoshimoto Kogyo, which is involved in their production.

“Participants pay an entry fee. On top of that, tickets for the preliminary rounds sell out instantly. Even for events outside the main competition, such as after-parties and recap streams, major sponsors get involved. Even after awarding the prize money to the winner, there’s still plenty of profit left. It’s a win-win situation,” says an advertising agency insider.

In addition to generating revenue through streaming services and YouTube, competitions like M-1 and R-1 Grand Prix have also launched a fan club-style subscription service with an annual fee of 2,000 yen.

“The number of applicants to Yoshimoto’s comedy training school, NSC, is also increasing. After the short comedy boom driven by shows like Enta no Kamisama (NTV) ended, enrollment dropped for a while. But thanks to the recent surge in comedy competitions, it’s now on the rise again. Many aspiring comedians enroll with the goal of winning a major competition,” explains the previously mentioned TV writer.

A Yoshimoto insider notes that many of these young comedians are well-behaved.

“Reiwa Roman’s Takahira Kuruma (30), who got involved with online gambling, was an outspoken ‘M-1 purist,’ but he’s an exception. Most aspiring comedians come from elite university comedy clubs and have few disciplinary issues. As seen with Don Koko, a brother duo of Nigerian and Japanese descent who joined NSC, promising freelance comedians are also being drawn in.”

Many TV professionals are also in favor of the growing number of competitions.

“Budget cuts have made it difficult to hold auditions. These days, only a handful of shows, like Gurunai’s ‘Omoshiro-sou’ (NTV), provide a platform for young talent. So where do we find fresh talent? Comedy competition preliminaries. Young comedians understand this, too—winning a competition is ideal, but simply participating in the preliminaries can open doors. It’s a true win-win situation,” says a key network producer.

Comedy competitions have become the most cost-effective content in saving the struggling TV industry.

From the March 7, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”