Tokyo's five major private television networks are preparing to trial simultaneous online streaming of their evening news programs from next year, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.
The decision comes as private networks, which have been cautious about starting online streaming services, are waking up to the reality that their online presence will only continue to fade if they do not keep up with the growing trend of video streaming on smartphones.
The networks — Nippon Television Network Corp., TV Asahi Corp., Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc., TV Tokyo Corp. and Fuji Television Network Inc. — will simultaneously stream their weekday evening news programs for five days in January next year on TVer, a portal site that provides free streaming of shows immediately after they have aired on television, according to the sources.