« Sunday & Monday is media fun-day | Home | Pawel Nastula allegedly fails more drug tests »
PRIDE’s NYE TV options
By Zach Arnold | October 29, 2006
By Zach Arnold
The five major free TV networks in Japan (Tokyo Broadcasting System, TV-Tokyo, Nippon TV, Fuji TV, & TV-Asahi) are starting to get their New Year’s Eve programming plans ready. Based on what is publicly known, here is the information that we know of so far:
- TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting) – K-1 Dynamite!!
- Fuji TV – Nothing official (although there was a rumor that they might run figure skating programming)
- TV-Tokyo – usual New Year’s Eve programming (comedy and music, along with a news feature program)
- Nippon TV – A three-hour game special program and a 5-hour Music Lovers program (information provided by Burning Spirit)
- TV-Asahi – Nothing official
Nippon TV not carrying fight programming on New Year’s Eve makes total sense (given how the network’s image was damaged with the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 fiasco). TV-Asahi was the network that some Japanese fight media types were trying to push as a possible home for PRIDE a couple of months ago. It’s an interesting option given that the network still supports New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Fuji TV would be an unlikely choice, given that they canceled PRIDE abruptly in June.
It looks more and more like TV-Asahi is the only real, serious option on the table for PRIDE at this point (if it happens). If it does happen, Asahi is a big network and would certainly give them broad coverage throughout Japan. DSE President Nobuyuki Sakakibara stated last week that the promotion would make an announcement regarding their TV situation on November 10th.
By no means is this a positive indication that TV-Asahi will air the PRIDE show. However, the ball is in the network’s court if they want to make a deal with PRIDE.
Topics: All Topics, Japan, MMA, Media, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
Out of curiousity Zach, who was the main commentator for Fuji TV? I noticed he did the commentating for Fuji TV’s F1 broadcasts too. *referring to the one who commentated for Yoshida vs. Ogawa last year.*
Masaharu Miyake? That might be him.
Yeah that’s him. Thanks.
i keep hearing about pride possibly getting on tv for nye but what will happen longterm? will the station that airs thier nye show keep be broadcasting all thier shows?
[...] This leaves TV-Asahi as the only network (officially) left for PRIDE programming to possibly air on New Year’s Eve. If TV-Asahi says no to PRIDE, then this means PRIDE will have to produce their Otoko Matsuri event with no television money. SkyPerfecTV PPV only. [...]
how popular is skyperfectTV ???
do they make any money from that
skyperfect is so popular it makes everybody’s head explode. dse makes millions and millions from skyperfect
when will dse become a listed company like the ifl? dse is so popular in japan i bet dse shares would be more popular than livedoor. maybe they could make crocop and fedor directors.