Nippon Television
On the 28th of August 1953, a small animated dove spread its wings on the screen of channel 4 in Tokyo. This moment marked the official start of Nippon Television as Asia's first commercial broadcaster. The station began broadcasting under the Allied Occupation of Japan, following a recommendation from US Senator Karl Mundt to Matsutarō Shōriki. Shōriki then persuaded Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida to create this new network. The license for commercial television was granted on the 31st of July 1952, but equipment delays pushed the actual launch date back by four days. When the signal finally went live, it aired an advertisement for Seikosha clocks that reportedly played upside down by mistake. Television sets were too expensive for most families at the time, so the company installed fifty-five street TVs across the Kanto region. These public screens attracted crowds of eight thousand to ten thousand people to watch sports like professional baseball and sumo wrestling. Plans to expand nationwide were initially blocked because the original license covered only the Kanto area. In 1955, Shōriki stepped down after being elected to Japan's House of Representatives, marking the first electoral coverage ever carried out by commercial TV.
On the 28th of August 1958, Yomiuri TV started broadcasting in Osaka, which marked the beginning of Nippon TV's expansion into the Kansai area. Local newspapers opposed this growth due to the close partnership between Nippon TV and the Yomiuri Shimbun group. By the 1st of April 1966, the Nippon News Network launched with nineteen founding members to handle news programs across the country. The non-news counterpart, known as the Nippon Television Network System, formed on the 14th of June 1972 to improve collaboration among stations. Before 1958, programming was seen on CBC and OTV, whose broadcasts began on the 1st of December 1956. A special program called The Coming Year ran until the end of the Showa era, rotating production between main Kanto stations. In 1994, the number of affiliates increased to thirty when Kagoshima Yomiuri Television started broadcasting. However, a disagreement over plans to expand in Fukuoka Prefecture caused Television Nishinippon to withdraw from the network in 1963. This loss meant Nippon TV lost its local news base in Kyushu. Today, these two networks cover almost all of Japan except for Okinawa Prefecture.
On the 10th of September 1960, Nippon Television obtained a license to broadcast programs in color after applying for it in April 1957. The first live coverage in color was the wedding of Crown Prince Akihito on the 10th of April 1959. By October 1971, the station achieved broadcasting all of its programs in color, surpassing NHK which had seventy-three percent color output at the time. On the 22nd of November 1963, they conducted the first black-and-white TV transmission experiment between Japan and the United States using a communication satellite relay during the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The Beatles' concert at the Nippon Budokan was shown in color on the 1st of July 1966 with a viewing rate reaching fifty-six percent. In December 1982, multichannel television sound broadcasting began using the EIAJ MTS standard. Analog broadcasting ended on the 24th of July 2011, fully entering the digital TV era. On the 1st of February 2013, the network collaborated with NHK to air a special program related to the first TV broadcasts sixty years ago. In September 2020, they started trials on live online streaming of their channel on TVer. From the fourth quarter of 2021, the broadcaster officially started its live online streaming of its channel.
Nippon Television Holdings is partially owned by Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, which holds fourteen point four five percent of the company's shares. This media conglomerate is Japan's largest by revenue and second only to Sony. The network also owns stakes in animation studios Madhouse, Tatsunoko Production, and Studio Ghibli. In November 2011, Nippon Television acquired about eighty-five percent of Madhouse for approximately one billion yen. On the 29th of January 2014, the company purchased a fifty-four point three percent stake in Tatsunoko Production. On the 6th of October 2023, Nippon Television purchased a majority stake in Studio Ghibli while continuing to focus on creative efforts. The company also holds shares in the film studio Nikkatsu and operates Hulu Japan. Matsutaro Shoriki returned as president after resigning as Minister of State in 1958 and increased investment in color television. When Kobayashi Shoriki took over in 1969, he continued progress in TV broadcasting and launched business reforms to turn losses into profits by 1972. In 2012, the network transitioned from a corporation to a certified broadcasting holding company named Nippon Television Holdings.
On the 9th of March 1984, Dan Goodwin climbed the ten-floor Nippon Television Kojimachi Annex using suction cups during a paid publicity event. The station launched its first cable-exclusive channel, CS Nippon TV, in 1996. In 2011, the drama I am Mita, Your Housekeeper achieved high ratings that helped NTV regain the Triple Crown Ratings after eight years. The show Kaseifu no Mita was the highest watched program of 2011 in Japan. On the 30th of April 2003, the network held a completion ceremony at its new headquarters in Shiodome which had taken seven years to build. However, in October of that same year, employees bribed surveyed households to increase their ratings. This scandal impacted the ratings most especially on baseball games and allowed Fuji TV to take number one status. The network airs popular anime series like My Hero Academia, Claymore, Death Note, and Detective Conan through its Osaka affiliate Yomiuri TV. They have also produced and broadcast yearly Lupin III TV specials since 1989 alongside TMS Entertainment. The company has intimate connections with Studio Ghibli, funding all productions since Kiki's Delivery Service.
When Nippon Television started in 1953, its English acronym NTV served as the first corporate logo designed by Shōjirō Takada. A colored version appeared later in 1972 after the launch of color TV broadcasting. In 1978, the broadcaster introduced a monsho featuring the NTV sun and the earth represented by the Mercator projection. This logo was designed by employee Masahiro Touzawa and colored blue to represent clear skies. On the 28th of August 1992, Hayao Miyazaki designed the mascot character Nandarou for the channel's fortieth anniversary. The name came from an audience nomination campaign that received fifty-one thousand and twenty-six names. The winning name literally translates to What is it? The mascot was supposed to be used for one year only but remained until 2013 due to popularity. It was replaced by DA BEAR which was introduced in 2009. On the 1st of January 2013, the network changed its logo again to denote starting from zero and starting anew inspired by the on-screen clock usually located in the upper left corner.
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Common questions
When did Nippon Television officially start broadcasting?
Nippon Television officially started broadcasting on the 28th of August 1953. This event marked the beginning of Asia's first commercial broadcaster under the Allied Occupation of Japan.
Who founded Nippon Television and what was their role in its creation?
Matsutarō Shōriki persuaded Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida to create Nippon Television after receiving a recommendation from US Senator Karl Mundt. Shōriki served as the founding president and later returned to lead the company again in 1958.
What major technological milestone did Nippon Television achieve in 1960 regarding color broadcasts?
Nippon Television obtained a license to broadcast programs in color on the 10th of September 1960 after applying for it in April 1957. The station achieved full color output by October 1971, surpassing NHK which had seventy-three percent color output at that time.
Which animation studios does Nippon Television Holdings own stakes in today?
Nippon Television Holdings owns stakes in animation studios Madhouse, Tatsunoko Production, and Studio Ghibli. The network acquired about eighty-five percent of Madhouse in November 2011 and purchased a majority stake in Studio Ghibli on the 6th of October 2023.
When was the mascot character Nandarou created for Nippon Television and who designed it?
Hayao Miyazaki designed the mascot character Nandarou for the channel's fortieth anniversary on the 28th of August 1992. The name won an audience nomination campaign that received fifty-one thousand and twenty-six names before being replaced by DA BEAR in 2009.