Production costs remain unchanged even if the number of views is increased by streaming missed programs… Variety shows in a difficult situation

Not a penny more in paychecks even though the streaming of missed episodes is booming!

Lavit!” (TBS), for which the general direction was changed this spring. (TBS), for which the general direction was changed this spring, has not been well received. (TBS) has lost its sharpness, which was praised as the “morning comedy.” For example, the famous opening talk has been shortened and the show has started featuring safe, familiar programs such as gourmet food and rankings.

TVer’s missed shows have been doing well, but apparently production costs have been cut this spring, since production costs are determined based on terrestrial viewership ratings. The ratings for “Lavit! was in the 1% range on some days. In order to gain viewership, the program has shifted slightly from edgy programming to programs that are popular with all viewers,” said a producer at a key station.

However, in the case of variety shows, “no matter how many times the program is viewed, the performers and staff do not receive a single yen in compensation,” says a broadcaster with a wry smile.

In the case of variety programs, however, “no matter how many times the program is viewed, the performers and staff do not get paid a penny,” the broadcaster complains. “In the case of content as popular as ‘Detective Tsuda,’ a popular program on “Wednesday’s Downtown” (TBS), which can generate viewer traffic for a long time, some of the money is returned to the production budget. However, I have never heard of a bonus being added to the fee of a regular variety show because of a good delivery. I suspect that the majority of the staff lament that they are forced to make thumbnails for distribution while their pay remains the same, and that their “working hours have only increased.　Staff who are good at making thumbnails are valued, so they have no choice but to work hard. ……”

A production company director continues.

Variety does not earn as many views as drama and is not viewed on external video distribution sites. Moreover, the sponsors of terrestrial broadcasting and video streaming are separate and the fees are low. Unless a drama is viewed in an explosive way, the earnings are not so great. Video streaming services have become established, and viewers are now choosing the content. On the other hand, if the show does not become a topic of conversation, it will not be viewed at all. In the case of dramas, productions that become social phenomena appear frequently, but in the case of variety shows, they are rare.

The positioning of missed programs and clipped videos in variety shows is not a place to make money, but rather a channel for getting people to know about the program and guiding them to real-time viewing. Even so, in the long run, there is nothing better than a large number of views.

There are some local variety shows that become nationally popular because of the missed distribution. If that happens, more companies will want to become sponsors, and production costs will go up as a result. Miki Fujimoto (41) and Natsuko Yokozawa (35) are the MCs of “After My Husband Sleeps” (TV Asahi), which gained popularity from the clipped video, and the budget was boosted by the earlier broadcast time. I think the large number of views has the advantage of making the station’s upper management hesitant to discontinue the program even if it is struggling in the ratings,” said the director of the production company mentioned above.

The aforementioned broadcaster points out that what fans can do to help the show is to “just get the show buzzing.

In the case of “Lavit! fans criticized the sponsor on the Internet, but this would have the opposite effect.

It can be said that this is a difficult time for variety shows.

From the May 29, 2026 issue of FRIDAY