This is the fifth installment of a series that overviews the changes in the media landscape, focusing on the latest trends of the broadcasting industry in the age of the convergence of telecommunications and broadcasting and government policies to clarify future issues. This article covers the developments from August 2019 through April 2020.
First, the author would like to touch on broadcasters’ efforts and challenges facing them regarding COVID-19. How should broadcasters communicate the situation that changes from day to day to the audience calmly and objectively? What roles can broadcasters play for pupils of elementary and junior high-schools who are deprived of the opportunity to receive education due to the across–the–board closure of schools? What kinds of messages can be conveyed to different people in different situations? As the situation keeps changing even now, thorough analyses and studies are yet to be done, but the author tries to archive broadcasters’ movements since April when the situation turned very serious.
The main discussion of this paper is the movements surrounding NHK. On April 17, 2020, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) established a subcommittee on the roles of public service broadcasting under its study group on issues surrounding broadcasting. With this, intense debates on the receiving fee system will unfold in conjunction with NHK’s so-called “the trinity reform” on “operations,” “receiving fees,” and “governance.” Taking the occasion of the launch of “NHK Plus” that provides online simulcasts of certain TV programs and catch-up service on April 17th, this paper examines the developments of the debates on around–the–clock simulcasting services since 2015 when the discussion started. It also reviews the movements regarding NHK over the recent six months, focusing on each of the three themes of “the trinity reform.” By examining these topics, the author presents issues that are assumed to be critical for NHK in the future.