The lineup of New Year's Eve prime-time specials for the five major commercial broadcasting stations has been announced. This year, other stations will be challenging "Zawatsuku! Omisoka" (TV Asahi), which has been the top-rated commercial broadcasting station for the fourth consecutive year, with popular content.
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Last year, Nippon Television produced the popular "Gochi Battle" segment of "Guru Guru Ninety-Nine." This year, they will broadcast a New Year's Eve version of "Hiromi's Hachioji Rehome," a popular segment from "Ariyoshi Seminar," called "Hiromi's New Year's Eve Rehome," live for five and a half hours starting at 6 p.m. Hiromi and Yokoyama Yu from "SUPER EIGHT" will take part in a major renovation of a children's sumo club.
Last year, TV Asahi's "Zawatsuku! New Year's Eve" recorded an average household viewership rating of 12.7% (Part 2, based on Video Research data, Kanto region), making it the top commercial broadcaster for the fourth consecutive year. This year, TV Asahi will be programming "Zawatsuku! New Year's Eve" for the seventh consecutive year. It will be broadcast for approximately eight hours from 5:00 PM until 1:00 AM on New Year's Eve. In addition to the usual variety of games, quizzes, and talk shows, the station will also be trying something new by broadcasting the drama "Takashima Chisako Murder Case," featuring a star-studded cast unique to the station.
TBS will be broadcasting "New Year's Eve All-Star Sports Festival" again this year, which recorded an average household viewership rating of 9.6% (Part 2) last year. The special will air 30 minutes earlier than last year, starting at 4:30 PM, and will feature a star-studded cast of celebrities and top athletes competing in sports. Actors from January's dramas, including Ryohei Suzuki, Mirai Shida, and Tomoya Nakamura, as well as top athletes from the sports world, will compete against each other.
TV Tokyo will have the same lineup as last year. The familiar large-scale music program "New Year's Eve Japanese Songs" will be broadcast from 4pm. This year, Tokumitsu Kazuo, Takeshita Keiko, and Nakayama Hideyuki will once again serve as hosts, with a stellar lineup appearing. Starting at 9:55pm, they will be broadcasting the New Year's Eve special of "The Kodoku no Gourmet" for the ninth consecutive year. This year, some live broadcasts will also be making a comeback for the first time in five years.
Last year, Fuji TV made a tricky decision by sandwiching "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" between "Run for Money: New Year's Eve Special." This year, the lineup is entirely focused on the popular "New Year's Kagi," with "New Year's Kagi Dance Stadium: Japan's Most Fun Dance Showdown" starting at 7 PM and "New Year's Kagi Special" starting at 10 PM.
