The distribution service “DOWNTOWN+” was launched on January 1, and Downtown’s Hitoshi Matsumoto delivered a live broadcast. For Matsumoto, it was the first time to resume his activities in a year and 10 months since his hiatus in January 2024. [Photo] “Welcome back, Matsumoto!”Hitoshi Matsumoto responded to the cheers of the audience When Matsumoto appeared in the studio, he was greeted with loud applause and cheers of “Welcome back” from the members who had registered for the annual subscription plan of DOWNTOWN+ and were invited by lottery. Matsumoto looked as if he was moved by the thunderous applause and cheers, and his first words were, “Matsumoto, I’m on the move. I heard that comedy in Japan is having a hard time, so I decided to make a comeback. I look forward to working with you,” he declared. He then spoke of his feelings over the past two years and said, “There were many people waiting for me, and I have stopped time for all of you. I had to involve a lot of fellow comedians and junior comedians. I think I caused a lot of trouble for the TV staff, and I can’t cause any more trouble. That is why I created this place. I think we have created a platform where a lot of those people can also come out. What I feel now is gratitude. He then explained the contents and highlights of the original content, interspersed with video clips. He also introduced the fact that Matsumoto will continue to conduct monthly live broadcasts, that archived videos will be released one after another, and that there are plans for the general public to participate in the event. The audience laughed from start to finish, and the one-hour live broadcast ended. The first public announcement of the service was made on October 2. On the official website of Yoshimoto Kogyo, it was announced that “We have decided on the outline of a new service to distribute Downtown’s contents on our own platform for a fee,” and that the fee would be 1,100 yen per month or 11,000 yen per year. On the 9th, a “visual” of Matsumoto’s profile was released; on the 11th and 13th, photos of the program set were uploaded; from the 14th to the 17th, the new program was announced for four consecutive days; on the 23rd, it was announced that Matsumoto would deliver the program live alone on the first day of delivery; and on the 24th On the 23rd, it was announced that the first day of distribution would begin with Matsumoto’s solo live distribution, and from the 24th, videos of the new program, co-stars, and other information were announced daily.
