As Catch-Up Viewing Booms, Variety Programs Find Themselves Under Increasing Strain

Even if catch-up streaming performs well, talent fees don’t increase by a single yen

The reputation of “Love it!” (TBS), whose chief director changed this spring, has not been favorable. Its trademark opening talk segment has been shortened, and safe, overused features such as gourmet segments and rankings have begun to appear, causing the sharp edge that had earned it praise as morning comedy improvisation to disappear.

“TVer’s catch-up streaming performed well, but production budgets are determined based on terrestrial television ratings, so it seems that the budget has been reduced since this spring. ‘Love it!’ had days when its ratings were in the 1% range. In order to secure ratings, the show appears to have shifted somewhat from creating edgy programming to pursuing broader appeal,”

said a producer at a key commercial network.

Catch-up streaming has now become a barometer of popularity, but in the case of variety shows, one broadcast writer wryly noted that no matter how many views they get, the performers and staff don’t receive even one yen more in compensation.

“In cases like ‘Wednesday’s Downtown’s popular segment Detective Tsuda,’ which became such a phenomenon that it generated views over a long period of time, it seems that some of that success has been reflected in the production budget. But I’ve never heard of bonuses being added to talent fees simply because streaming numbers were strong for an ordinary variety show. The pay remains the same, yet staff are also made to create thumbnails for streaming platforms, so the majority complain that ‘all that’s increased is our working hours.’ Staff members who are good at making thumbnails are highly valued, so they have no choice but to do their best.”

A director at a production company continued:

“Variety shows can’t generate the same number of views as dramas, and they aren’t watched on outside video-streaming platforms either. On top of that, terrestrial broadcasts and catch-up streams have different sponsors, and the fees are very low. Unless a show achieves explosive viewership, the profits are limited. Video streaming services have become established, and we’ve entered an era in which viewers choose the content they want to watch. On the flip side, if something doesn’t become a topic of conversation, it won’t be watched at all. In the drama world, productions that become social phenomena appear from time to time, but in variety programming, that’s rare.”

According to industry insiders, the role of catch-up streaming and clipped videos in variety television is not as a place to make money, but rather as a pathway to make people aware of a program and guide them toward real-time viewing. Even so, from a long-term perspective, having more views is still preferable.

“There are local variety shows that have become nationally popular thanks to catch-up streaming. Once that happens, more companies want to become sponsors, and as a result, production budgets increase. ‘After the Husband Falls Asleep’ (TV Asahi), hosted by Miki Fujimoto (41) and Natsuko Yokozawa (35), reportedly gained popularity through clipped videos, and its budget increased after its broadcast time was moved earlier. Another advantage of high view counts is that, even if a show is struggling in the ratings, upper management at the network may hesitate to cancel it,”

said the aforementioned production company director.

The same broadcast writer pointed out that the best thing fans can do for a program is simply help it go viral.

“In the case of ‘Love it!,’ some fans criticized the show’s sponsors online, but that only has the opposite effect. Instead, they should help build excitement around the program by getting it trending on social media.”

It may truly be said that this is a difficult era for variety television.

From the May 29, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY.”