Television industry in Japan - statistics and facts

Television is an important part of the media and entertainment industry in Japan. The medium became firmly entrenched in the lives of Japanese consumers in the 1960s and 1970s, when the country’s high economic growth brought about an unprecedented affluence that enabled more and more households to purchase TV sets. Today, the country is home to seven national television networks, of which five are centered on commercial key stations. Next to the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), which serves as Japan’s public broadcaster and operates NHK General TV and NHK Educational TV, there are Fuji TV, Nippon TV, TV Asahi, TBS Television, and TV Tokyo. The sales of the broadcasting industry amount to several trillion Japanese yen annually, of which terrestrial broadcasting makes up the largest part.

Development of the television industry

Regular terrestrial television broadcasting in Japan started in 1953, and from the outset the market was shaped by both public and commercial broadcasting. While cable TV followed in 1955 and satellite broadcasting in 1987, terrestrial broadcasting continued to be the main transmission type. Digital broadcasting of terrestrial television was introduced in 2003 and completely succeeded analog broadcasting in 2012. Since the Broadcast Law stipulates that those households and businesses which possess devices capable of receiving broadcasting signals are obliged to pay a reception fee to NHK, the number of NHK broadcasting subscribers can serve as an indicator for the potential reach of broadcasting media. Owing to its widespread adoption and frequent use, television had been the most important medium for the advertising industry for many decades. In 2019, however, TV advertising expenditures were overtaken by internet advertising expenditures for the first time.

Television consumption

Although the average time people spend on watching real-time television has decreased in recent years and the medium faces strong competition in the form of video-on-demand (VOD) services, it continues to be the most popular type of video consumption among Japanese consumers. One possible explanation for this can be found in Japan’s demographic makeup: The country has one of the oldest populations in the world, and people belonging to older age groups are much less likely to spend a lot of time online, but on average spend a lot more time on watching television than younger generations. One further reason can be found in the relatively positive image television enjoys as a source of news-related information: A majority of people across almost all age groups thinks that television offers trustworthy information, which is much higher than the respective figures for the internet.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Feb 26, 2024

Key insights

Sales of the broadcasting industry
3.7tr JPY
Television advertising expenditure
1.7tr JPY
Most popular TV genre
Variety programs
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Television advertising expenditure in Japan from 2014 to 2023 (in trillion Japanese yen)

Traditional advertising

TV advertising expenses in Japan 2014-2023

Average time people spent on watching real-time television per weekday in Japan from fiscal year 2013 to 2022 (in minutes)

TV

Average real-time TV viewing time per weekday Japan FY 2013-2022

Most commonly watched television genres in Japan as of June 2023

TV

Most viewed TV genres Japan 2023

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Advertising in Japan
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Streaming in Japan
Media industry in Japan
Media industry in Japan
Anime industry in Japan
Anime industry in Japan
News consumption in Japan
News consumption in Japan

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