Television in Japan
A modified version of the NTSC system for analog signals, called NTSC-J, was used for analog broadcast between 1950 and the early 2010s. The analog broadcast in Japan was replaced with a digital broadcasts using the ISDB standard. ISDB supersedes both the NTSC-J analog television system and the previously used MUSE Hi-vision analog HDTV system in Japan. Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting (DTTB) services using ISDB-T (ISDB-T International) started in Japan in December 2003, and since then, Japan adopted ISDB over other digital broadcasting standards.
All Japanese households having at least one
History
In 1924,
An all-electronic system was adopted in the 1930s using a domestically developed
For a brief period in the aftermath of Japan's surrender, the occupied government banned television research in 1945, but was lifted in July 1946. Takayanagi joined the Victor Company of Japan to continue research on his own end, while the NHK resumed theirs in November.[9] Takayanagi played a central role in jointly developing television broadcasting technology and television receivers with NHK, Sharp, and Toshiba.
Regular television broadcasts in Japan only started in 1950, several years after the war.
By the late 1960s, 30 million households owned a television set, commercial TV had 500 transmitters and NHK, 1000. With the early introduction of color television, on the other hand, only a small amount in 1967 afforded such a set, estimated at 80,000-90,000 - aiming for a 100,000 target by spring 1968, accounting to less than 1% of the total number of sets at the time. Its programming in the 1960s was seen as "primitive" for US standards.[11]
The
The television industry in Japan affected the film industry – in the 1960s, film companies reacted by not allowing their top actors and directors to work on television, not even the formers' production skills. Eventually the film companies lose money.[12]
Terrestrial television
In
- Tokyo NHK General TV (東京NHK総合テレビジョン) (AK)
- Tokyo NHK Educational TV (東京NHK教育テレビジョン) (AB)
- Tokyo TV Asahi (東京テレビ朝日) (EX)
- Tokyo Fuji TV(東京フジテレビ) (CX)
- Tokyo Nippon TV (東京日本テレビ) (AX)
- Tokyo TBS Television (東京TBSテレビ) (RX)
- TV Tokyo (テレビ東京) (TX)
Network | Flagship station (Tokyo) |
Traded as (Tokyo) |
Transmitter area | Broadcast area | Channel (Tokyo) |
Type (associated newspaper and film company) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NHK G | NHK (JOAK-DTV) |
Tokyo Skytree | Kantō region | 1 | Public broadcasting (none) | |
NHK E | NHK (JOAB-DTV) |
2 | ||||
JAITS–SYN | tvk (JOKM-DTV) |
3 | Commercial broadcasting (none) | |||
NNS/NNN | Nippon TV (JOAX-DTV) |
TYO: 9404 | 4 | Commercial broadcasting (Yomiuri Shimbun) | ||
ANN | TV Asahi (JOEX-DTV) |
TYO: 9409 | 5 | Commercial broadcasting (The Asahi Shimbun and Toei Company[a]) | ||
JNN | TBS (JORX-DTV) |
TYO: 9401 | 6 | Commercial broadcasting (Mainichi Shimbun) | ||
TXN | TV Tokyo (JOTX-DTV) |
TYO: 9413 | 7 | Commercial broadcasting (The Nikkei) | ||
FNS/FNN | Fuji TV (JOCX-DTV) |
TYO: 4676 | 8 | Commercial broadcasting (Sankei Shimbun[b] and Toho[c]) | ||
JAITS–SYN | Tokyo MX (JOMX-DTV) |
Tokyo | 9 | Commercial broadcasting (Chunichi Shimbun[d] and Kadokawa Daiei Studio) |
Tokyo Skytree
Channel | Channel name | Callsign | Signal power | ERP | Broadcast area |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
|
NHK General TV | JOAK-DTV | 10 kW | 68 kW | Kantō region |
2
|
NHK Educational TV | JOAB-DTV | |||
3
|
tvk | JOKM-DTV | 3 kW | 11.5 kW | Kanagawa and Tokyo
|
4
|
Nippon TV | JOAX-DTV | 10 kW | 68 kW | Kantō region |
5
|
TV Asahi | JOEX-DTV | |||
6
|
TBS Television | JORX-DTV | |||
7
|
TV Tokyo | JOTX-DTV | |||
8
|
Fuji TV
|
JOCX-DTV
| |||
9
|
Tokyo MX | JOMX-DTV | 3 kW | 11.5 kW | Tokyo |
Digital television
metropolitan areas. It has been reported that 27 million HD receivers had been sold in Japan as of October 2007.The Japanese government is studying the implementation of some improvements on the standard as suggested by
Analog terrestrial television broadcasts in Japan were scheduled to end on July 24, 2011, as per the current Japanese broadcasting law. However, the switch-over was delayed in Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate prefectures, due to a desire to reduce the inconvenience of those affected most by the
Cable television
Cable television was introduced to Japan in 1955, in Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture. Until the 1980s, cable television in Japan was mainly limited to rural mountainous areas and outlying islands where the reception of terrestrial television was poor. Cable television started to proliferate in urban areas in the late 1980s, beginning with Tokyo, whose first cable television station began broadcasting in 1987.[13]
Only one percent of Japanese households were able to receive cable TV in 1992.[14] This posed issues to the launch of new specialized cable networks.[14]
Following the lifting of legal controls by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, six new cable channels launched on Japan's two communication satellites in mid-1992.[14] Japanese law required new channels to receive half of the revenue from subscribers who received the scrambled signals.[14]
Over one million homes were connected to cable TV in 1995.[15]
As of 1995, Japan's eleven cable-only channels were carried through communication satellites. The most successful channel out of the eleven channels had less than 30,000 subscribers, far fewer than Wowow's 1.6 million subscribers. Programming was mostly limited to sports, news and old movies. The lack of programming and the downfall in the Japanese film industry were primary obstacles for the development of cable networks.[15]
In the mid-1990s, two-way multichannel cable television platforms first appeared in the market;
Currently, there are several national and regional cable television providers in Japan, the largest being
The Japan Cable Television Engineering Association (JCTEA) is the umbrella organisation representing 600 member companies involved in research, designing, manufacturing, installation and maintenance of cable television facilities in Japan.[16]
Satellite and IP television
The medium-scale Broadcasting Satellite for Experimental Purposes (BSE) was planned by Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MOPT) and developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (
The satellite BS-2a was launched in preparation for the start of full scale 2-channel broadcasts.
Later, NHK started regular service (
In April 1991, Japanese company JSB started a pay TV service while BS-3 communication satellite was in use.
An estimated two million viewers tuned to NHK's two-channel satellite television broadcasts in 1992.[14]
In 1996, the total number of households that received satellite broadcasting exceeded 10 million.
The modern two satellite systems in use in Japan are BSAT and JCSAT; the modern
Satellite and IPTV channels
BS Channels (HD)
Channel Number | Channel Name | Description |
---|---|---|
Current channels | ||
BS101 | NHK BS | NHK Programming (HD) |
BS141 | BS NTV |
Nippon TV /NNN Programming (HD)
|
BS151 | BS Asahi | TV Asahi/ANN Programming (HD) |
BS161 | BS-TBS | TBS /JNN Programming (HD)
|
BS171 | BS TV Tokyo | TV Tokyo/TXN Programming (HD) |
BS181 | BS Fuji | Fuji Television/FNN Programming (HD) |
BS191 | WOWOW Prime |
General Entertainment (HD) |
BS192 | WOWOW Live |
Sports and Live Performances (HD) |
BS193 | WOWOW Cinema |
Movies (HD) |
BS200 | Star Channel 1 |
Movies (HD) |
BS201 | Star Channel 2 |
Movies (HD) |
BS202 | Star Channel 3 |
Movies (HD) |
BS211 | BS11 | General Entertainment (HD) |
BS222 | BS12 TwellV | General Entertainment (HD) |
BS231 | Open University BS Campus Ex | Educational (HD) |
BS234 | Green Channel | Horse Racing (HD) |
BS236 | BS Animax | Animation (HD) |
BS241 | BS Sky PerfecTV! | Variety (HD) |
BS242 | J Sports 1 | Sports (HD) |
BS243 | J Sports 2 | Sports (HD) |
BS244 | J Sports 3 | Sports (HD) |
BS245 | J Sports 4 | Sports (HD) |
BS251 | BS Tsuri Vision | Fishing (HD) |
BS252 | Cinefil WOWOW |
Movies (HD) |
BS255 | Nippon Eiga Senmon Channel | Japanese Movies (HD) |
BS531 | Open University BS Radio | Educational (Radio) |
BS Channels (4K/8K)
Channel Number | Channel Name | Description |
---|---|---|
4K-BS101 | NHK BS Premium 4K | NHK Programming (4K) |
8K-BS102 | NHK BS8K | NHK Programming (8K) |
4K-BS141 | BS NTV 4K |
Nippon TV /NNN Programming (4K)
|
4K-BS151 | BS Asahi 4K | TV Asahi/ANN Programming (4K) |
4K-BS161 | BS-TBS 4K | TBS /JNN Programming (4K)
|
4K-BS171 | BS TV Tokyo 4K | TV Tokyo/TXN Programming (4K) |
4K-BS181 | BS Fuji 4K | Fuji Television/FNN Programming (4K) |
4K-BS203 | The Cinema 4K | Movies (4K) |
4K-BS211 | Shop Channel 4K | Shopping (4K) |
4K-BS221 | 4K QVC | Shopping (4K) |
CS Channels (Hikari TV, HD)
Channel Number | Channel Name | Description |
---|---|---|
CS055 | Shop Channel | Shopping (HD) |
CS161 | QVC | Shopping (HD) |
CS218 | Toei Channel | Toei Movies and Television Programs (HD) |
CS219 | Eisei Gekijo | Shochiku Movies, Kabuki and Asian Drama (HD) |
CS223 | Channel Neco | Movies (HD) |
CS227 | The Cinema | Movies (HD) |
CS240 | Movie Plus | Movies (HD) |
CS250 | Sky A | Sports (HD) |
CS254 | Gaora Sports | Sports (HD) |
CS257 | Nittere G+ |
Sports (HD) |
CS262 | Golf Network | Golf (HD) |
CS290 | Takarazuka Sky Stage | Takarazuka Revue's Theatre (HD) |
CS292 | Jidaigeki Senmon Channel | Jidaigeki (HD) |
CS293 | Family Gekijo | Variety (HD) |
CS295 | Mondo TV | Variety (HD) |
CS296 | TBS Channel 1 |
General Entertainment (HD) |
CS297 | TBS Channel 2 |
General Entertainment (HD) |
CS298 | TV Asahi Channel 1 | General Entertainment (HD) |
CS299 | TV Asahi Channel 2 | General Entertainment (HD) |
CS300 | Nittere Plus |
General Entertainment (HD) |
CS301 | EntaMētele | General Entertainment (HD) |
CS305 | Channel Ginga | General Entertainment (HD) |
CS307 | Fuji TV One | Sports and Variety (HD) |
CS308 | Fuji TV Two | Drama and Animation (HD) |
CS309 | Fuji TV Next | Sports and Music Live (HD) |
CS310 | Super! Drama TV | Foreign Drama (HD) |
CS312 | Dlife |
General Entertainment (HD) |
CS314 | Lala TV | Women's Programming (HD) |
CS317 | KBS World | Korean Entertainment (HD) |
CS318 | Mnet Japan | Korean Entertainment (HD) |
CS322 | Space Shower TV | Music (HD) |
CS323 | MTV Japan | Music (HD) |
CS325 | Music On! TV | Music (HD) |
CS330 | Kids Station | Animation and Children's Programming (HD) |
CS333 | AT-X |
Animation (HD) |
CS339 | Disney Junior | Family (HD) |
CS342 | History Channel |
History (HD) |
CS343 | National Geographic | Documentary (HD) |
CS349 | Nittere News 24 |
News (HD) |
CS351 | TBS News |
News (HD) |
CS566 | CNNj |
News (HD) |
CS567 | CNN | News (HD) |
CS570 | Nikkei CNBC | Business News (HD) |
CS800 | Sports Live+ | Sports (HD) |
CS801 | Sukachan 1 | Sports (HD) |
CS Channels (Hikari TV, 4K)
Channel Number | Channel Name | Description |
---|---|---|
4K-CS821 | J Sports 1 (4K) | Sports (4K) |
4K-CS822 | J Sports 2 (4K) | Sports (4K) |
4K-CS823 | J Sports 3 (4K) | Sports (4K) |
4K-CS824 | J Sports 4 (4K) | Sports (4K) |
4K-CS880 | Nippon Eiga + Jidaigeki 4K | Japanese Movies and Jidaigeki (4K) |
4K-CS881 | Star Channel 4K |
Movies (4K) |
4K-CS882 | Sukachan 1 4K | SKY PerfecTV! Original Programming (4K) |
4K-CS883 | Sukachan 2 4K | SKY PerfecTV! Original Programming (4K) |
Channels from Asian neighbors
Programs
While TV programs vary from station to station, some generalizations can be made. Most commercial television stations sign on between the hours of 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. every morning. Early morning hours are dominated by
Advertisers sponsor programs rather than buying advertising time during commercial breaks. The advertisers have major power over prime time programs, aiming to the lowest common denominator by having "familiar, tested" celebrities hosting the programs, regardless of genre.[12]
None of the foreign programs air on terrestrial television during prime time, even rare outside the prime time hours; instead, locally produced programs dominate the slot, favored by the public.[12] The broadcasters have control over production companies, hence production companies often work with a single TV station and the TV station itself owns the copyright to the completed program.[12]
The Japanese have sometimes subdivided television series and dramas into kūru (クール), from the French term "cours" (both singular and plural) for "course", which is a three-month period usually of 13 episodes. Each kūru generally has its own opening and ending image sequence and song, recordings of which are often sold. A six-month period of 26 episodes is also used for subdivision in some television series.
Drama
Japanese dramas (テレビドラマ, terebi dorama, television drama) are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedies, detective stories, horror, and many others. With a theme, there may be a one-episode drama, or two nights, that may be aired on special occasions, such as in 2007 where they had a drama produced as a sixty-year anniversary from the end of the World War II, with a theme of the atomic bomb.
Science fiction
Japan has a long history of producing science fiction series for TV. Non-anime science fiction are still largely unknown to foreign audiences. An exception is Power Rangers and their subsequent series that used battle sequences from the Super Sentai counterpart and combined them with American actors who acted out entirely original story lines.
Anime
Anime (アニメ), taken from half of the Japanese pronunciation of "animation", is the Japanese word for animation in general, but is used more specifically to mean "Japanese animation" in the rest of the world.
Variety shows
Japanese variety shows (also known as Japanese game shows) are television entertainment made up of a variety of original stunts, musical performances, comedy skits, quiz contests, and other acts. Japanese television programs such as Music Station and Utaban continue in an almost pristine format from the same variety shows of years before. The only major changes have been the increasing disappearance of live backup music since the 1980s.
Most viewed channels
Position | Channel | Rating, 2022 (%) | Rating, 2021 (%) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Nippon TV | 3.6 | 4.0 |
1 | TV Asahi | 3.6 | 3.8 |
3 | NHK G | 2.9 | 3.4 |
4 | TBS | 2.8 | 3.0 |
5 | Fuji TV |
2.4 | 2.9 |
6 | TV Tokyo | 1.2 | 1.4 |
See also
- Hobankyo—Organization based in Japan that enforces broadcast television copyright issues
- List of Japanese-language television channels
- NHK
- Video Research—company which conducts audience measurement for television and radio
References
Notes
- ^ TV Asahi is the largest single shareholder in Toei.
- Fuji Media Holdings.
- ^ Toho is the largest single shareholder in Fuji TV's parent company Fuji Media Holdings; its parent company, the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group, is the second largest shareholder in FNS' Kansai region flagship.
- ^ The Chunichi Shimbun Company owns stakes in most JAITS stations.
Citations
- ^ a b c "Milestones:Development of Electronic Television, 1924-1941". Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ a b ""Can you see me clearly?" Public TV image reception experiment (1939)". NHK. 1939-05-13. Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
- ^ NHK. "NHK Receiving Fees". NHK. Archived from the original on 2022-01-23. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
- ^ a b "All's fair when it comes to NHK's fare". Japan Times. Archived from the original on 2014-03-21.
- ^ a b "Kenjiro Takayanagi: The Father of Japanese Television". Archived from the original on 2002-06-04. Retrieved 2012-11-01.
- ^ Kenjiro Takayanagi: The Father of Japanese Television, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), 2002, retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ^ High Above: The untold story of Astra, Europe's leading satellite company, page 220, Springer Science+Business Media
- ISBN 0-252-02104-5.
- ^ 奥田謙造 (2007-03-26). 冷戦期のアメリカの対日外交政策と日本への技術導入 : 読売新聞グループと日本のテレビジョン放送及び原子力導入 : 1945年~1956年 (PDF). 東京工業大学. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
- ^ "How receivers grew". Variety. 14 May 1975. p. 116.
- ^ "Television and Radio Age" (PDF). 1 January 1968. p. 58. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Thwarted talent hampers Japan's new media age". Business Times. 13 January 1993.
- ^ "A Partial Guide to Broadcastings in Japan". The Web Kanzaki. 1996. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
- ^ a b c d e "More specialist shows in store for Japan TV viewers". The Straits Times. 22 April 1992. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Thwarted talent troubles Japan's new TV media". The Straits Times. 19 January 1995. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- ^ Japan Cable Television Engineering Association
- ^ "Anime - Definition". Merriam-Webster.com. 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
- ^ "Old anime discovered, restored," Daily Yomiuri Online. March 28, 2008.
- ^ "2023年3月期 通期決算補足資料 (page 10, quoting Video Research, figures from Kanto region)" (PDF). TV Tokyo HD. Retrieved 2023-11-19.