NTV's vice president talked about this issue during a regular press conference on 30 September 2024 but did not give details on what happened and simply said that changes to the programming plans were common. However, it is believed that the TV station has become more cautious about its approach towards making real-life adaptations and bit the bullet early this time especially after the controversy over "Sexy Tanaka-san" and the unfortunate outcome that led to the passing of its author.
And so...from this incident with NTV, there were interviews conducted with various unnamed personnel from talent agencies about how they view the dramas produced by the key TV stations based in Tokyo i.e. FujiTV, NTV, TV Asahi, TBS and TV Tokyo and the agency management's attitudes towards letting their artistes appear in those productions. NHK was also mentioned in the article but technically speaking, it is not quite the same as these key stations since it is a national broadcaster with subscription income after all as compared to the key stations which depend largely on advertising income.
It is interesting to see the industry insider's view on these TV stations especially with the increasing influence and popularity of international streaming platforms nowadays that is giving them a run for their money. As such, I have highlighted and organised the key viewpoints raised in the article:
NTV
* Generally viewed to be the worst among the key stations due to its poor production quality and cheap-looking sets which are largely attributed to its low budgets
* However, they do a good job at promoting the dramas with its constant airing of trailers and there are many opportunities for the cast to appear on its infotainment and variety shows for the sake of promotion. This increases the exposure for the artistes and give the impression that the artistes are very "active" and can be seen "everywhere".
FujiTV
* Seen to have a bigger budget than other TV stations
* However, the quality and success rate of its dramas fluctuate too much so it can be risky to appear in their dramas. For example, "silent" was such a hit but the same staff lineup, scriptwriter and director failed to replicate this success for "Umi no hajimari" especially in terms of its real-time ratings for the core age group of 13 to 49 years old.
* The scale of production for their brand name "Mondays 9pm" timeslot seems to have gotten smaller as observed from their choice of lead actors in recent years i.e. those who would have usually played supporting roles in most productions and are seen to be inadequate or not "big" enough to lead a primetime slot like this.
* Its branding strategy and target audience also seem to be unclear and inconsistent as seen from its "constant changing goalposts". For example, one season had shown "Kazama Kimichika - Kyoujou 0 -" starring Kimura Takuya but the following season featured a much younger lead and obviously targeted younger audiences i.e. Mori Nana in "Manatsu no Cinderella".
* FujiTV's producers have a lot of say in deciding the lineup so the inconsistent programming strategy is said to be due to the producers "doing what they want" instead of sticking to a preplanned strategy guiding the overall direction.
* There has been talk that many actors are rejecting lead roles in the Mondays 9pm timeslot because of the likelihood of having to bear the responsibility of poor performances in terms of ratings. The preference these days is to take on supporting roles instead if the actors are approached to appear in this timeslot's drama.
TV Asahi
* Known for its preference to dish out sequels of its long-running series which can even run for decades
* Its strategy is viewed as one obviously targeting "seniors" so the offerings are not so appealing to the younger viewers. As such, there is reluctance by the talent agency management to let younger actors appear in their dramas since there is little benefit for these actors.
* While the "Aibou" series was cited as one with a well-planned storyline with new developments, the other long-running dramas go by a predictable formula which tends to be well-received by the senior viewers.
* Despite these complaints, it is viewed that their dramas are generally well-produced.
* Most preferred timeslot is Thursdays 9pm.
TBS
* Most sought-after by the agencies due to its high production quality and relatively consistent ratings performance.
* There is a lot of effort put into the refining of the scripts.
* Most preferred timeslots are the Sundays 9m and Tuesdays 10pm timeslot which are considered brand name slots and have stable ratings. Those pushing for their actors would prefer the Sundays timeslot while the Tuesdays timeslot which features a female lead would be preferred by those managing actresses.
* The budget for a Sundays 9pm drama is said to be in the range of JPY 40m to 50m per episode which is about double of what other TV stations are spending.
* Has a very clear target audience for its dramas thus its reach and impact do not fluctuate that much.
NHK
* Its Taiga and morning dramas are the preferred timeslots for agencies.
* However, the pay for their dramas is somewhat low especially for supporting actors. As such, the agencies are banking on the exposure in an influential timeslot to get exposure and opportunities for CMs - a huge source of income for the agencies.
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Just to add on for TV Tokyo which was not mentioned in this article - all along, they have been seen as a maverick in the industry. Generally, they are quite nimble and actually has traits which can be seen in other TV stations as well. For example, they do quite a bit of real-life adaptations and also have long-running series like "Kodoku no Gurume". As such, I would say that they are a bit of everything and have a liking for unconventional and experimental concepts at times. If you are interested, you can take a look at my previous analysis of TV Tokyo here.
I do agree largely with the views expressed above. As for NTV, I think that while they had interesting offerings from time to time in recent years, their lineup is definitely not as attention-grabbing or headline-worthy as compared to the radical and sometimes controversial stand they took in the past with social-themed dramas like "14-sai no Haha" or "Ienakiko" back in the 90s. On the other hand, it is clear that TBS is a favourite among agencies now and it seems that putting in a lot of time and effort along with the right branding have served them well in building up a good reputation.
However, it can also be observed that since real-time ratings are very low these days, agencies are looking more strategically at what appearing in a drama can bring for them i.e. exposure and CMs. As such, even if the drama does not do brilliantly in real-time, if it does well enough on OTT or helps the cast become popular and well-known, the agencies would probably have considered that to be a worthwhile investment after all. Perhaps this is why they still push for their artistes to appear on NHK despite the low pay - the nationwide exposure is a very appealing factor for them after all.
The thing about FujiTV's Mondays 9pm timeslot is, it used to have a very clear direction i.e. mainly love stories targeted at OLs. However, the change in direction in the past decade or so could be seen as a move to incorporate variety in its offerings and expand the target audience given that the pool of real-time drama viewers has shrunk. It seems to have gone not so well though especially since the industry sees it as them being misguided and in a mess due to the lack of a consistent direction.
As such, perhaps this is a question for all TV stations then. Should you focus on building a branded timeslot with largely similar style offerings but risk being seen as predictable and boring or should you try to do a variety of formats and adopt a trial-and-error method to find success which may be elusive?
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