Three weeks have passed since the launch of “DOWNTOWN+,” an Internet distribution service by Downtown’s Hitoshi Matsumoto (62) and Masanori Hamada (62). It is also reported that the number of subscribers has exceeded 500,000, indicating that the service is off to a great start. On November 1, “Downtown Plus” was launched. At 9:00 p.m. on the same day, Matsumoto conducted a live broadcast from his studio in Tokyo. I heard that comedy in Japan is having a hard time, so I decided to revive it,” he said. He also revealed that “hundreds of thousands of people” had signed up for the live broadcast, and declared his “victory” by saying, “I’ve won! I’ve won! In addition to the “Downtown Plus” service, “U-NEXT” and “ABEMA” as well as the start of “PrimeVideo” distribution on November 11 are believed to have contributed to the increase in the number of subscribers. The number of subscribers to “Downtown Plus” is not yet counted, and it is whispered that the actual number of subscribers is higher than reported, but looking at the numbers, it seems to have been an early “success”. Downtown Plus” offers original programs such as “Manzai International,” “Professor Matsumoto’s Laughter Proof,” “Money is Time,” “Fruitless Story Tournament,” “7:3 Talk,” “O-Kiri GRAND PRIX,” and more. In addition to Matsumoto’s film works, “Downtown no Gaki no Tsukasa ya Arahende! (NTV), and “Tantei! Night Scoop” (ABC TV), in which Matsumoto appeared as the director. Osamu Suzuki, 53, a former broadcaster, also mentioned on his X that “Downtown Plus” has over 500,000 subscribers. He predicted that if “Gaki Tashi” featuring Downtown was broadcast on the service, the number of subscribers would reach 1 million, and if the “Never Laugh” series was broadcast once a year, the number of subscribers would reach 2 million.
The “second DOWNTOWN+” will be born in 2026.
The subscribers to “Downtown Plus” commented, “Downtown Plus has fun and laughter every day, www.” “Isn’t the second big comedy competition on Downtown Plus starting today too much fun? I couldn’t hold back my laughter on the train and it was embarrassing. I was going to cancel my subscription after a month, but it was so much funnier than I imagined it would be, I think I’ll continue. The TV and entertainment worlds have been paying a lot of attention to Downtown Plus because it is a new business model that delivers content on its own platform, not on Netflix or PrimeVideo, and not through existing distribution services such as YouTube. It’s a new business model,” said a source at a production company. The “Downtown Plus” has only been in operation for about three weeks, but the number of subscribers has already surpassed 500,000, which is still a great number. It seems that many people wanted to see Mr. Matsumoto’s laughter for the first time in a long time after he had been inactive for about 1 year and 10 months. On the other hand, it became clear that a “proprietary distribution service” can be a viable business for a celebrity or artist with a large number of devoted fans like Downtown and Matsumoto. The success of “Downtown Plus” has led to several moves to launch similar proprietary platforms in the coming year and beyond. Until now, the usual working style for TV personalities was to appear in programs produced by TV stations or content for distribution services and receive a fee, but a new business model is now possible in which management and the personalities themselves take the lead in establishing their own platforms, distributing videos, and earning money through subscription services. This new business model is now possible. The same is true for fan clubs, where you pay a fixed monthly fee, but this is a service that further specializes in videos. Of course, this would only be possible with a celebrity like Downtown, who has overwhelming power and the ability to distribute content. It is believed that a “second ‘Downtown Plus'” will be born early next year, and in light of this, it can be said that “Downtown Plus” is now at the center of a new movement in the entertainment world. Downtown has brought a new wind to the world of comedy and television. Downtown Plus” may be the next big thing in the world of comedy and television.
Pinzuba NEWS Editorial Department