Fuji TV’s Struggles and TV Asahi’s Ascent Highlight a Changing Broadcast Landscape

Sales staff begging advertising agencies

“Help Fuji Television!”

“We don’t have any production budget!”

Shouting this at the start of the New Year was Hikari Ota (60) of the comedy duo Bakusho Mondai. This was a scene from New Year! Bakusho Hit Parade 2026, broadcast live on the Fuji TV network on January 1. Bakusho Mondai appeared last, and Ota blurted out:

“Right now, Fuji Television is, well, one year on from that—it’s in an existential crisis.”

“Right now, Fuji Television has less money than ‘DOWNTOWN+ (Downtown Plus).’”

If it were just a comedy gag, that would be fine, but considering the environment surrounding Fuji,

“It’s not entirely wrong,”
(a Fuji Television insider)

—which makes it no laughing matter.

The sexual scandal involving former SMAP member Masahiro Nakai (53), with Fuji Television as the stage. Fuji’s clumsy response triggered a massive backlash, sponsors pulled their commercials, and Fuji faced the greatest crisis since its founding.

As a result, the heads of the management team at the time, including then-president Koichi Minato, were replaced, and Hisashi Hieda, known as the don of Fuji Television, also stepped down. Although the company made a fresh start by appointing Kenji Shimizu as the new president, the damage still remains.

Another Fuji Television insider told this site in an interview:

“Under the new structure, advertising placements are on a recovery trend, but the unit prices themselves have dropped to a shocking degree. For some programs, sponsors can’t be gathered at all, and sales staff are begging agencies. Even accounting for the decline in television’s overall brand power, who could have imagined Fuji in this state? I think the biggest winners are the people who took early retirement in ’22 and left with significantly increased severance packages.”

According to Daily Shincho last October, Fuji decided to cut drama production budgets. The one-hour prime-time slot (7 p.m. to 11 p.m.) is to be reduced from the previous 30 million yen to close to 20 million yen. According to drama industry insiders who come and go at Fuji:

“They have no choice but to be cautious about casting big-name actors with high fees. Many employees are leaving the network. The wave of production cost cuts is spreading to local stations as well.”

While Fuji’s decline unfolds, the network riding high is TV Asahi.

TV Asahi opens an entertainment facility as well

In ’25, TV Asahi achieved the triple crown in personal overall ratings for the second consecutive year, based on average annual viewership figures (Video Research, Kanto region). News and information programs such as Hodo Station, Shinichi Hatori Morning Show, and Yoko Oshita Wide! Scramble demonstrated steady strength, while in dramas, police procedurals like Aibou, Emergency Interrogation Room, and Tokuso 9 remained rock-solid.

In variety programming, Zawatsuku! Friday topped all networks for the third straight year with an annual average rating of 6.9% (personal).

The momentum has not slowed this year either. For average ratings from January 1 to 3, TV Asahi achieved a double crown in both household and personal ratings in the golden time slot (7 p.m.–10 p.m.) and prime time (7 p.m.–11 p.m.). The New Year’s Day staple Celebrity Rating Check! posted a high 14.0% in personal overall ratings. A TV Asahi insider says:

“Under the old hierarchy, Nippon TV reigned as the absolute champion, with TV Asahi, TBS, and Fuji chasing behind. Over the past few years, that balance has reversed. Nippon TV and Fuji have visibly declined, which is a big factor. TV Asahi is steady and conservative, for better or worse. It didn’t do anything particularly special—the production teams just had good taste.”

The smiles won’t stop.

On March 27, the management’s pet project, the large-scale entertainment complex TOKYO DREAM PARK (Ariake, Tokyo), will open. As opening attractions, a stage production titled AmberS—Ambers— and one of the largest-ever Doraemon events are planned. A TV Asahi insider adds:

“Stage productions by the former Johnny’s—now STARTO ENTERTAINMENT—will also be held there frequently. Some people even mock it as a ‘Johnny’s theater.’ It can’t afford to fail.”

There was a time when Fuji, too, held the triple crown in ratings. Now, TV Asahi is aiming to establish that position. Will the day come when Fuji wipes away the Nakai issue and shines once again?