JORX-DTV (channel 6), branded as TBS Television (TBSテレビ, TBS Terebi), is the flagship station of the Japan News Network in the Kantō region. It is owned-and-operated by Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc., a subsidiary of the TBS Holdings. TBS Television is one of the "five private broadcasters based in Tokyo."
TBS produced the game show Takeshi's Castle, which is dubbed and rebroadcast internationally. The channel was also home to Ultraman and the Ultra Series franchise starting in 1966—initially a spinoff of Ultra Q, which was co-produced and broadcast in the same year. Most, if not all, of these series were produced by Tsuburaya Productions for the network. In the 2010s, the Ultra Series moved to TV Tokyo. Since the 1990s, TBS has been the home of Sasuke (Ninja Warrior), whose format inspired similar programs outside Japan. Sasuke itself was a spinoff of the TBS game show Kinniku Banzuke, which ran for seven seasons.
On May 24, 2017, TBS and five other major media firms—TV Tokyo, Nikkei, Inc., WOWOW, Dentsu, and Hakuhodo DY Media Partners announced that they would jointly establish a new company, Paravi, in July to offer paid online video services. TBS Holdings became the largest shareholder of the new company, Premium Platform Japan, with a 31.5% stake. Yasuhiro Takatsuna, an official from TBS Holdings, was appointed as the new company's president.
Contents
Overview
Its predecessor, Radio Tokyo, Inc., was established in 1951 as a general broadcaster. On April 1, 1955, it launched as the second privately owned TV station in Japan, following Nippon Television, and simultaneously became the only TV and radio station in Tokyo (spun off in 2001). At that time, Radio Tokyo incorporated local stations into the Japan News Network (JNN) by promoting the elimination of newspaper influence in forming the news network, thereby establishing a powerful reporting system.
The current TBS Television was originally established as TBS Entertainment, Inc. a production company that produced entertainment programs for Tokyo Broadcasting System (the trade name of Radio Tokyo Co., Ltd. at the time). Since the broadcasting license was owned by the parent company, TBS, TBS Entertainment was not a member of the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association.
On April 1, 2009, Tokyo Broadcasting System (which changed its trade name to Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc. on the same day) underwent a corporate split. The television broadcasting business, including the television broadcasting license and the operation of various facilities such as Akasaka Sacas and Akasaka BLITZ, along with cultural projects such as events, was inherited by the newly established company, which retained the abbreviation TBS. This company transitioned from being a production company to a general broadcaster (currently a private terrestrial core broadcaster) and joined the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association. Additionally, TBS Radio was entrusted with the maintenance and management of the company's transmitting station in Toda City, Saitama Prefecture.
History
Early history
Matsutarō Shōriki, the former owner of Yomiuri Shimbun, first proposed the idea of private broadcasting in Japan in 1951. In June of the following year, NHK, Yomiuri Shimbun, and Radio Tokyo (the first private radio broadcaster) were among the first to apply for a TV broadcast license. In July of the same year, the Radio Supervision Committee announced the granting of a preliminary license to Nippon Television, while holding off on the applications of NHK (because the National Assembly needed to pass NHK's business plan) and Radio Tokyo (due to its recent establishment). On January 16 of the following year, Radio Tokyo obtained a TV preparatory license. After the completion of its TV headquarters, Radio Tokyo was granted an official TV broadcasting license on January 28, 1955.
At 10 am on April 1, 1955, Radio Tokyo TV (shortened to KRT) began broadcasting. According to a KRT survey conducted from November to December 1955, KRT's average audience rating from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm was 24.4%, slightly ahead of Nippon TV's 24.1% and NHK's 21.9%. The income of Radio Tokyo's television division increased after broadcasting began, surpassing that of the radio division in 1957. In the early days of broadcasting, American TV series such as Adventures of Superman and Lassie played a role in KRT's program schedule. 77 Sunset Strip, which began airing in 1960, also sparked a ratings boom. In terms of technology, in July 1955, KRT and Toshiba jointly developed Japan's first domestic TV studio camera. The following year, KRT and Hokkaido Broadcasting jointly participated in the Japanese product exhibition held in Beijing, where they conducted a TV broadcast test in China for the first time.
Forming a network; transition from KRT to TBS
At the beginning of 1959, the third and fourth flagship stations in the Tokyo area, Nippon Educational Television (now TV Asahi) and Fuji TV, began broadcasting—NET on February 1 and Fuji TV on March 1. Around the same time, a large number of people purchased TV sets to watch the wedding of Crown Prince Akihito and Michiko Shoda. By April 3, 1959, the number of TV households in Japan had reached 2 million. Japan's TV advertising costs also increased from 400 million yen in 1954 to 23.8 billion yen in 1959. On April 10, 1959, KRT broadcast all of the wedding of Crown Prince (now Emperor Emeritus) Akihito and Empress Michiko, with 17 TV stations simulcasting the KRT broadcast.
In June 1958, KRT signed a news material exchange agreement with CBC, OTV, RKB, and HBC. This agreement lead to KRT's idea of establishing a national network. Building on the cooperation among various stations during the Crown Prince's wedding, KRT signed a JNN news agreement with 15 TV stations from across Japan on August 1, 1959, creating Japan's first TV network, the Japan News Network (JNN). By the end of that year, the number of JNN-affiliated stations had increased to 18.
The JNN news agreement stipulated that each station would be responsible for news gathering in its own region and was obligated to provide the news materials it collected to JNN. It also prohibited exchanging news materials with other networks or broadcasting news programs and other content from other networks. The following year, KRT, CBC, ABC, RKB, and HBC established the "Five Station Alliance" to strengthen cooperation in various fields.
In October 1960, KRT was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. To reflect the reality that television had replaced radio broadcasting as the company's main business, Radio Tokyo changed its name to Tokyo Broadcasting System on November 28, 1960, and the English abbreviation changed from KRT to TBS.
KRT began trial broadcasting of color TV on February 2, 1959. On September 10 of the following year, KRT officially launched color TV broadcasts, becoming one of the first eight TV channels in Japan to do so. At that time, TBS believed that color TV technology was not yet fully developed, and as a result, it was less active in colorizing its programs compared to other Japanese TV stations. In October 1970, TBS completed its transition to color broadcasting, with its first primetime broadcasts using NTSC-J color for non-news programming.
Hero of private TV
In October 1961, in response to the rising challenge from Fuji TV, which was seeing increasing ratings, TBS undertook a major reorganization of its program schedule. American TV dramas and music programs for young audiences were scheduled for 7:00 pm, American TV series at 8:00 pm, and TBS's self-produced TV series at 9:00 pm This new arrangement boosted TBS's ratings and prompted other stations to adopt similar schedules, making the one-hour program format a standard in the Japanese TV industry.
In the early 1960s, Ben Casey was the most successful TV series broadcast by TBS from the United States, achieving a rating of 50.6%, which remains the highest rating for a foreign TV series broadcast in Japan. However, as TBS's capability to produce its own programs improved, the network gradually reduced its broadcast of American TV series after the mid-1960s.
On November 1, 1963, TBS eliminated the afternoon break from Monday to Thursday to provide uninterrupted broadcasting throughout the day. According to a 1963 survey by Video Research, TBS had an average audience rating of 16.7% during prime time, ranking first among all Tokyo stations. Its average full-day audience rating was 8.3%, lower than NHK's but the highest among private stations.
On November 23, 1963, TBS, along with Nippon TV and NHK, conducted the first satellite broadcast between Japan and the United States, covering the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
In the early 1960s, spurred by the 1964 Summer Olympics, TBS experienced rapid growth. By 1965, TBS reported a turnover of 14.702 billion yen and a profit of 1.673 billion yen. To diversify income beyond advertising, TBS funded the establishment of the Tokyo Electronics Research Institute (now Tokyo Power Technology) in 1963.
From 1961 to 1964, TBS constructed TBS Hall on the north side of its headquarters and began exploring the real estate business. In the late 1960s, TBS also established TBS Encyclopædia Britannica and TBS School of Computer Science, expanding into cultural and educational industries.
In the early 1970s, TBS opened housing exhibition halls in Musashisakai, Omiya, Machida, Hachioji, and other locations, entering the housing industry. TBS's investment in radio and television-related businesses increased from 2.1 billion yen in 1968 to 11.5 billion yen in 1973.
1980s and 1990s: "Triple Crown ratings"
In 1982, Fuji Television surpassed TBS and claimed the number one position in prime-time ratings among all core stations. Although TBS maintained the top spot in turnover among core bureaus after 1980, its profit declined for four consecutive years starting in 1980.
In response to the challenge from Fuji TV, TBS introduced new programs targeting younger audiences but failed to achieve the desired results. In October 1984, TBS undertook a reorganization of its program schedule, delaying the end time of the evening news program JNN NewScope from 7:00 pm to 7:20 pm, which helped TBS regain the top spot in prime-time ratings from October 1984 through March 1985.
Despite this, the turnover of TBS's television department was surpassed by Nippon Television and Fuji Television in 1984. By 1985, Fuji TV had also surpassed TBS in overall turnover. Meanwhile, in response to the trend towards multi-channel broadcasting, TBS actively pursued new ventures. In 1984, TBS participated in establishing Japan Satellite Broadcasting (now Wowow and U-Next) and began broadcasting TV information in 1986.
Compared to Fuji TV, which focuses on younger audiences, TBS targets family audiences and offers greater program diversity. However, from April to September 1987, TBS's prime-time ratings were surpassed by other Japanese TV stations, dropping to third place among flagship stations.
To counter TV Asahi's high ratings for News Station at 10:00 pm on weekdays, TBS launched JNN News 22 Prime Time in 1987 to directly compete with it. The program schedule of TBS was significantly adjusted due to this new addition. However, JNN News 22 Prime Time only aired for a year due to low ratings. Its successor, JNN News Desk '88・'89, also failed to disrupt News Station's dominance during this period.
After April 1988, TBS's prime-time ratings began to decline, with the decline accelerating after April 1989. Despite this downturn, which coincided with Japan's bubble economy, TBS's financial performance continued to improve. In 1987 and 1988, TBS's turnover grew by 12% for two consecutive years. In 1989, TBS's profit exceeded 11.7 billion yen, and the TV department's turnover surpassed 168.8 billion yen. Taking advantage of the favorable financing conditions during the bubble economy, TBS decided to build a new headquarters in the late 1980s.
Spin-off of TBS TV, restructuring and media development
In 2000, TBS established three subsidiaries: TBS Radio and Communications (TBSラジオ&コミュニケーションズ, now TBS Radio), responsible for the radio division; TBS Entertainment (TBSエンタテインメント), responsible for TV program production; and TBS Sports (TBSスポーツ), responsible for sports programs. Concurrently with these structural reforms, TBS introduced the "Ji~n" logo.
In 2001, TBS established TBS LIVE (TBSライブ, now known as U-Next Paravi Corner), which is responsible for producing information programs. That same year, the call sign of TBS TV was changed from JOKR-TV to JORX-TV. On October 1, 2004, TBS merged the three subsidiaries—TBS Entertainment, TBS Sports, and TBS LIVE—into TBS TV, consolidating the wireless TV business into one company (excluding signal broadcasting and personnel brokerage).
On April 1, 2009, TBS adopted the broadcasting holding company system, becoming the second core broadcaster in Japan to do so. The TV broadcasting license was inherited by TBS TV, and the original TBS corporate entity was renamed "Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings" (now TBS Holdings), becoming a broadcasting holding company that simply holds shares in the group's subsidiaries.
In October 2005, the internet company Rakuten acquired a 19.09% stake in TBS for approximately 88 billion yen, becoming TBS's largest shareholder. Lotte Group proposed establishing a joint stockholding company with TBS for business integration, but TBS rejected this proposal, leading to serious confrontation between the two companies. On November 30 of the same year, Lotte and TBS reached a settlement through financial institutions and agreed to begin business cooperation. However, on February 28, 2007, then TBS President Hiroshi Inoue announced that TBS had terminated its partnership with Lotte and released a new defensive merger plan.
After TBS adopted the broadcasting holding company system, Lotte decided to require TBS to buy back all the shares it held in TBS, as it could no longer control the management rights. In 2010, the Tokyo District Court ruled that TBS should purchase the shares from Rakuten at a price of 1,294 yen per share.
On December 1, 2003, TBS began broadcasting digital TV signals. In the early 2000s, TBS's full-day ratings were surpassed by TV Asahi, and among core stations, TBS was only ahead of TV Tokyo, which had long been trailing. The ratings gap between TBS and TV Asahi in the evening time slot also narrowed. In response, TBS undertook a overhaul of its news and information programs broadcast from Monday to Friday in March 2005. Strip news programs, except for NEWS23 and Hanamaru Market, were replaced with new programs, which improved TBS's daytime ratings.
Later history
As a consequence of the Fuji Television sexual harassment scandal, TBS decided in January 2025 to end Masahiro Nakai's long-running program Kinsuma, and dropped him as host of the variety show The MC3, which had just started in October 2024. The station also announced that it had launched an internal investigation in accordance with the TBS Group Human Rights Policy, based on a series of reports regarding the relationship between entertainment professionals and TV station staff. About Kinsuma, one thing was noticeable: a group of ladies dressed in red, between 20 and 45 years old, always seated behind him, was made up of mostly aspiring artists and models. The ones on the aisle were to have their bare legs crossed the whole length of the show. The group of ladies stopped appearing after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.
Networks
TBS programming is also broadcast on Japan News Network (JNN) affiliate stations nationwide.
Programs
Below is a selection of the many programs broadcast by the network.
Sporting competitions
Kinniku Banzuke (筋肉番付, also known as Unbeatable Banzuke in the United States and United Kingdom)
Sasuke (known as Ninja Warrior in other countries, e.g.:American Ninja Warrior in the United States) an obstacle course based game show, originally part of Kinniku Banzuke
Kunoichi Sasuke's female counterpart
Takeshi's Castle (風雲!たけし城)
Pro Sportsman No.1 (最強の男は誰だ!壮絶筋肉バトル!!スポーツマンNo.1決定戦)
Sports Danshi Grand Prix (究極の男は誰だ!?最強スポーツ男子頂上決戦), reboot version of Pro Sportsman No.1.
KASSO, skateboarding gameshow
Honoo-no Taiiku-kai TV (炎の体育会TV)
HANZO, Sasuke's spin-off sports gameshow based on pentathlon.
MUSOU, cross-over spin-off gameshow based on various physical gameshow such as Takeshi's Castle, Sasuke, Kunoichi, Pro Sportsman No.1, Sports Danshi Grand Prix, DOORS and Tokyo Friend Park.
Variety and music
All-Star Thanksgiving (オールスター感謝祭) (Spring/Fall) (1991- )
Count Down TV (1993- )
Lincoln (リンカーン) (2005 -2013)
Masahiro Nakai's Friday Smiles (中居正広の金スマ) (2001 - 2024)
Quiz ¥20,000,000 Money Drop (2000万円クイズ！マネードロップ) (2012 - 2013)
The Chance! (ザ・チャンス! ) (1979 - 1986)
Kuizu 100-nin ni Kikimashita (クイズ100人に聞きました) (1979 - 1992)
Sanma's Super Karakuri-TV (さんまのスーパーからくりTV) (1992 - 1996 as Karakuri-TV, 1996 - 2014 as Super Karakuri-TV)
Tokyo Friend Park 2 (関口宏の東京フレンドパークII) (1994 - 2011)
The Best Ten (ザ・ベストテン) (1978-1989) (the program's best episodes were rerun in 2020 as a special)
THE MC3 (2024-) (Nakai dropped as host in January 2025)
Utaban (うたばん) (1996 - 2010)
The Music Hour (ザ・ミュージックアワー) (April - September 2010)
Open the door of knowledge! Door x Door Quest (知識の扉よ開け！ドア×ドア クエスト) (2024- )
Ongaku no hi (2011- ) (Nakai hosted until 2024. For 2025, station announcers Shinichiro Yasuzumi and Ai Eto take over)
Dramas and TV series
Sunday Theater (日曜劇場, since 1956)
DraMonday☆Night (ドラマンデー☆ナイト, since 2024)
Tuesday Drama (火曜ドラマ, since 2014)
Drama Stream (ドラマストリーム, since 2022)
Dramaism (ドラマイズム, since 2016)
Friday Prime Drama (金曜ドラマ, since 1972)
Information and news programs
The Time, (THE TIME, morning news, since 2021)
Hiruobi (ひるおび, daytime news, since 2009)
N-Studio (Nスタ, afternoon and evening news, since 1958)
News23 (news23, late-night news, since 1959)
TBS NEWS DIG (TBS NEWS DIG, 24-hour news channel, since 1999)
Mino Monta no Asa Zuba! (みのもんたの朝ズバッ!!)
The World Heritage (THE 世界遺産)
Special TV shows
Japan Cable Awards (発表!日本有線大賞)
Japan Record Awards (輝く!日本レコード大賞)
Tokyo Music Festival (東京音楽祭)
Sports coverage
FIFA
National teams
National teams
FIFA World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
JFA
Japan women's national football team
Japan national football team
AFC
AFC Asian Cup (shared with DAZN)
Nippon Professional Baseball
World Baseball Classic
FIVB
FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship
FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship
The Masters
Asian Games
World Athletics Championships
Olympic Games (via Japan Consortium)
Summer Olympic Games
Winter Olympic Games
Youth Olympic Games