The “Best Hit Uta Gassen” lineup
The first “NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen” was broadcast on radio in 1951, followed two years later by a series of TV broadcasts, the most recent being in 1963, when it recorded an 81.4% viewership rating. However, in recent years, the popularity of the program has finally begun to wane. The year before last, the average household rating for the first part of the program was 29.0% (Kanto region), falling below the 30% level for the first time, and the second part was 31.9%, the lowest ever. Last year, the second part of the program was up only 0.8 points and remained at a low level. However, a producer of a commercial broadcaster said, “This year’s Kohaku is going to be a fairly exciting one,” which may come as a surprise. Of the 26 groups that appeared on NTV’s “Best Hit Songs Festival 2025,” a music program broadcast on November 13, 13 of them were confirmed Kohaku contestants, including ORANGE RANGE, BE:FIRST, and Ikuta Ri. The program’s average household viewership was a respectable 8.8%, and the core audience of 13-49 year old men and women was a very high 6.8%, even though it would have been a passing grade if it had exceeded 4%. So both the younger and middle generations enjoyed the show. NHK, like NTV, has been trying to attract these core viewers, and the casts are probably similar to each other.
The Return of the Former Johnny’s Group
One of the main attractions of the festival was the return of the old Johnny’s group, which had made no appearances in Kohaku for the past two years. The popular King & Prince will appear. In this regard, it is surprising that Number-i will also participate from the white group. Since they were originally part of the same group from the same agency, there was a lot of talk about whether they would be able to perform together. The two groups have attracted the attention of their respective fans and are likely to contribute to raising the viewer ratings. On the other hand, he continues, “In addition to Masaharu Fukuyama and MISIA, who have been performing as the finalists for a long time, veterans such as Sayuri Ishikawa and Fuyumi Sakamoto will also appear. The only “Akimoto Yasushi Produced” idol is Nogizaka46, perhaps because of concerns about its shelf life, while Masaaki Sakai and Kiyo Hikawa are scheduled to appear in a special program commemorating the 100th anniversary of the broadcast. Sakai will appear with a band formed mainly by former Otokogumi members.