Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Tech Oct 1, 2013
Ratings soar for 'Breaking Bad' finale
The much-anticipated final episode of “Breaking Bad” drew the cult TV show’s largest ever audience — 10.3 million viewers — but there were also more than 500,000 illegal downloads, figures showed Monday. The series, centered around once humble chemistry teacher turned drug lord Walter ...
Entertainment Sep 23, 2013
World watches U.S. TV — but not always legally
Fun TV fact: “Desperate Housewives” is a cult hit in North Korea. Slightly less surprisingly, shows like “Breaking Bad” and “House” are watched everywhere, from Latin America to China to France. But as America’s TV stars and bosses gathered in Los Angeles this weekend ...
Entertainment Sep 18, 2013
Final season of acclaimed U.S. TV drama 'Mad Men' to be split in two
The final season of award-winning U.S. television show “Mad Men” will be split in two, airing in 2014 and 2015, the cable channel that broadcasts it said Tuesday. In an announcement days before this year’s Emmy Awards, AMC said it hoped to increase ratings ...
World Sep 13, 2013
How television seduced the world — and me
by Andrew Anthony
Like most people my age — 51 — my childhood was in black and white. That’s because my memory of childhood is in black and white, and that’s because television in the 1960s (and most photography) was black and white. All the TV programs ...
Voices | VIEWS FROM THE STREET Aug 26, 2013
Tokyo: How much TV do you watch each week, and what do you watch?
by Mark Buckton
From "none" to "watching TV is pretty much all I do," Tokyoites explain their diverse viewing habits.
Tech Jul 25, 2013
Fox loses second ad-skipping battle
A U.S. federal court decision Wednesday gave fresh support to a new technology that helps consumers avoid a basic irritant of television viewing — the commercial. Dish’s Hopper service, which automatically removes ads before consumers view recorded shows, is the latest technology to worry ...
Business Apr 9, 2013
TV startup shakes up U.S. broadcasters with court win
A startup whose business model is based on tiny antennas receiving over-the-air television for online viewing by subscribers has put the U.S. broadcast industry on the defensive. Aereo made headlines April 1 with a preliminary court victory over the major broadcasters, which had sought ...
Entertainment Apr 5, 2013
Leno to leave 'Tonight Show' in spring 2014
For the second time in about four years, Jay Leno is stepping down from NBC’s iconic late-night franchise “The Tonight Show.” This time, he’ll exit in spring 2014 to make way for “Late Night” star Jimmy Fallon. Fallon will take over sometime after that, ...
Tech Feb 11, 2013
Streaming firms use original series to muscle into TV market
The big-budget “House of Cards” original series launched this month on Netflix highlights the growing importance of streaming video, which is ramping up competition against traditional television. With stars including Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, the new 13-episode series, estimated by some to have ...
Media Feb 4, 2013
Puppy Bowl grows in leaps, bounds
by Maura Judkis
When reporters from The New Yorker, “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams,” “Good Morning America,” The Associated Press and The Washington Post, have all converged upon one event, it must be important. An appearance by the president. A press conference about dignified matters, with ...
Culture Jan 17, 2013
Fujiwara chases a scoop in news-themed thriller
by Tomohiro Osaki
There aren’t many celebrities who would make good journalists, but something tells me Norika Fujiwara is one. She’s well-traveled, socially active and not constrained by the mechanisms of public-relations strategies. In the new WOWOW mini-series “Onna to Otoko no Nettai” (which is rendered in ...
Tech Jan 12, 2013
A world where your TV watches you
In the new world of technology, television is not just for watching — it is also watching you. So-called smart TVs being unveiled this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show offer technologies that watch the viewer, in an effort to offer more relevant ...