TV | Wide Angle Jan 17, 2020
NHK's taiga drama hopes to shake off its curse
by Kaori Shoji
Amid celebrity scandals and low ratings, NHK launches the latest installment of its long-running Sunday evening drama series.
National Jan 16, 2020
NHK to simultaneously broadcast online 18 hours a day from April
NHK said Wednesday that it will simulcast its television programs online for 17 hours a day starting in March before rolling out 18-hours-per-day coverage in April. NHK had hoped to launch around-the-clock simulcasts in April, but it shortened the time to 18 hours after the ...
Entertainment News Jan 6, 2020
'1917,' 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' win Golden Globes
The 77th Golden Globes were meant to be a coronation for Netflix. Instead, a pair of big-screen epics took top honors Sunday, as Sam Mendes' technically dazzling World War I tale "1917" won best picture — drama, and Quentin Tarantino's radiant Los Angeles fable ...
Commentary / World Jan 4, 2020
What a decade of Netflix did to Hollywood
by Tara Lachapelle
The rise of the streaming-video leader has spurred a rash of mergers that are transforming the industry.
National Dec 27, 2019
NHK and Japan sportswear firm Mizuno apologize over phony program guest
NHK apologized Thursday for failing to check the identity of a program guest it had introduced as a customer of a shoe rental service at a hotel. The guest was actually an employee of sportswear firm Mizuno Corp., which provided the shoes to the ...
Entertainment News Dec 24, 2019
The Netflix decade: How one company changed the way we watch TV
by Helen Coster
In the not-so-distant past, TV viewers were forced to wait a week for the next installment of their favorite shows, parceled out by networks in half-hour or hour-long increments. Fast forward to 2019, when media and tech companies are subverting that schedule and the majority ...
TV | 2019 in Review Dec 19, 2019
Japanese television relied heavily on tried and tested formulas in 2019
by Patrick St. Michel
While the Rugby World Cup and the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito brought the viewers flocking, television networks did little to offer anything else new in 2019.
World / Politics Dec 18, 2019
The British embassy voiced disappointment Wednesday after the English-language branch of Chinese state television decided not to air an interview with the ambassador that included a discussion on Hong Kong. Beijing has repeatedly warned Britain to keep off its internal affairs as London has voiced ...
Entertainment News Dec 12, 2019
Actor and TV personality Tatsuo Umemiya, who appeared in a number of popular films and television dramas, died of chronic kidney failure Thursday morning at a hospital near Tokyo, his agency said. He was 81. Born in what was then known as Manchukuo, now northeastern ...
National Dec 9, 2019
NHK to cut online service budget as part of bid to start internet simulcasts
Responding to a request by the communications ministry, NHK will cut its budget for online services as part of its efforts to win government approval for simultaneous broadcasting of all of its television programs on the internet. NHK also said Monday it will reduce the ...
Entertainment News Dec 9, 2019
Puppeteer who performed as Big Bird and Oscar on 'Sesame Street' dies at 85
Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who brought boyish vulnerability to Big Bird, the towering yellow-plumed character, during 50 years on the groundbreaking children's television show "Sesame Street" and even made garbage-loving Oscar the Grouch lovable, died on Sunday at the age of 85, the Sesame ...
Business / Corporate Nov 29, 2019
Japan's NHK to drastically cut online distribution budget at government's request
NHK plans to drastically reduce its budget for internet-based operations, including a proposed real-time distribution service for TV shows, informed sources said Friday. The public broadcaster will accept a demand from the communications ministry to cut the budgets for its internet-based operations to prevent related ...