[A Flurry of Program Cancellations] Revealed by the End of “Ariyoshi’s Wall”… Concept-Based Variety Shows Are on the Decline Due to Production Budget Cuts

Terrestrial TV Variety Shows Are Becoming More “Energy-Efficient”

It has been reported that the popular Nippon TV variety show *Ariyoshi no Kabe* will end its regular broadcast this fall.

“The show has aired irregularly since 2015 and became a regular series in 2020. Young comedians poised to lead the next generation take on the ‘Wall of Comedy’ prepared by Hiroyuki Ariyoshi (52).True to the concept of ‘overcoming the wall to grow as comedians,’ acts such as ‘Chocolate Planet’ and ‘Sissonne’ broke through after appearing on this show. The show’s style of undertaking large-scale location shoots was also well-received by collaborating municipalities and companies as ‘good publicity,’” said a director at the production company.

Regarding Nippon TV’s variety programming, the end of “THE W: The No. 1 Female Comedian Championship” was also reported, and Soshin (33), who served as a judge on the show, admitted, “I couldn’t save it.”

“Compared to mixed-gender competitions, the level wasn’t particularly high, and with the concept of gender neutrality now firmly established, some people were even saying that an all-female competition might actually be ‘out of step with the times.’ Due to the proliferation of comedy competitions, the value of all but the ‘M-1 Grand Prix’ has been declining year by year. It wouldn’t be surprising if other competitions were to end at any time,” said a producer at a major network.

Comedy sketch shows, which once enjoyed great popularity, and concept-based variety shows like *Ariyoshi no Kabe* are on the decline.

“Due to production budget cuts, elaborate concepts that require both money and time are becoming harder to get approved. Even if you spend a fortune, it doesn’t really boost ratings or streaming views much.A good example is *Johnson* (TBS network), a large-scale variety show that brought together today’s hottest comedians—including *Kamaitachi*, *Mitorizu*, and *New York*—but was canceled almost immediately.

“Given that, it’s better value for money to produce quiz shows and street-walking shows that appeal to middle-aged and older viewers, or exposé-style talk shows that easily become online news and spread widely through clip videos,” says a broadcast writer.

Consequently, viewers who love variety shows have shifted to comedians’ YouTube channels and video streaming services.

“When it comes to the speed at which they poke fun at current events, terrestrial TV can’t compete with comedians’ YouTube channels like *Saraba Seishun no Hikari*.It’s also difficult for terrestrial TV to produce variety shows with bold content and star-studded casts, like DMM TV’s ‘Great Escape’ or Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Can You Call 100 Friends?’” (Director at a production company, as mentioned earlier)

As terrestrial variety shows continue to “cut back,” they’ve discovered a gold mine in “road trips” and “cooking.”

“The beauty of driving segments is that the interactions inside the car make it easy to draw out the talent’s true selves and candid conversations. Since they also stop by popular restaurants and tourist spots, they can incorporate the feel of a city-exploring show.On the other hand, cooking segments appeal to housewives, and since they’re filmed entirely within a kitchen studio, production costs can be cut. It’s also a real bonus that you can sometimes catch genuine, candid remarks during conversations while they’re cooking,” said the aforementioned broadcast writer.

Given the decline in concept-driven variety shows, this writer believes “tough times are ahead for young comedians.”

“Unless you’re a seasoned comedian like Hiroyuki Iguchi (43) from ‘Westland’—someone with strong stories to tell and the ability to deliver biting commentary—it’s hard to get cast. We’ll likely see more variety shows featuring the same old faces.”

The days when TV was all about being fun are long gone.