NTV Eyes Former Johnny & Associates Partnership in Back-to-Basics Plan to Revive 24-Hour Television

Former Johnny’s Office

Just as reports of a romantic relationship between ‘King & Prince’ members Nagase Ren (26) and Hamabe Minami (25), who were scheduled to appear as charity partners, surfaced, it was announced on the broadcast day, August 30, that another charity partner, ‘King & Prince’ Takahashi Kaito (26), would be absent. Once again, this year’s “24-Hour Television” (Nippon TV) generated plenty of buzz. The program recorded an average household viewership rating of 11%, and the “Marathon for Children’s Support Fund,” with ‘SUPER EIGHT’ member Yokoyama Yu (44) as the runner, raised 704,086,000 yen—about 200 million yen more than last year.

“In November two years ago, embezzlement of 24-Hour Television donations was discovered at Nihonkai TV, part of the Nippon TV network. Nippon TV’s summer tradition faced a crisis of survival. How could the network overcome it? The solution they arrived at was to boost the program’s image by selecting runners who have a personal background that aligns with the spirit of the charity marathon. For example, last year’s runner Yasuko (27) had spent her high school years in a child welfare facility.

This year’s runner, Yokoyama, experienced his parents’ divorce at age three. Struggling financially, he supported his two younger brothers who were placed in a child welfare facility. After graduating middle school, he worked at a construction company while pursuing his entertainment career. Footage tracing Yokoyama’s past received a strong response and contributed significantly to the increased donations. The strategy of returning to the spirit of charity clearly paid off,” said a Nippon TV insider.

“24-Hour Television” has traditionally featured main personalities from the former Johnny & Associates. This practice was halted following sexual abuse scandals involving the late Johnny Kitagawa. This year, however, former Johnny & Associates talents were brought back for the first time in a while. According to the same insider, “After multiple internal discussions, the network concluded that if ‘24-Hour Television’ were to continue, it should collaborate again with the former Johnny & Associates.” Given this, the revelation of Nagase and Hamabe’s romance right before the broadcast was a major blow.

“Some staff saw it as a potential promotional opportunity, but STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, Nagase’s agency, unofficially requested that the program avoid showing Nagase and Hamabe together in two-shots. The network scrambled to respond. Nagase appeared via a live feed from Shizuoka, so there were no two-shots. Some linked Takahashi’s last-minute absence on the broadcast day to Nagase’s romance report, but it was simply due to Takahashi feeling unwell,” the insider added.

Another Nippon TV source said, “Many employees feel encouraged by this year’s ‘24-Hour Television.’”

“Although the numbers dropped slightly from last year, both household and individual ratings remained in double digits. Surveys also show that viewership among Gen Z increased compared to last year, including streaming on TVer. We only produced a five-minute mini-program and did not engage in large-scale PR, yet we still saw results, which boosted internal confidence. Going forward, the network will likely continue the two main policies of ‘returning to the spirit of charity’ and ‘resuming the use of former Johnny & Associates talents.’”

Perhaps this is what they mean by a “return to basics.”