The rise of internet television, including subscription streaming services, has dramatically changed the financial situation of terrestrial television stations. In the past, production costs for an hour-long variety show broadcast during prime time used to run into tens of millions of yen, but now that figure has fallen to about one-third of that. In this difficult situation, one thing that TV station staff are concerned about is how to pay the performers. “Performers’ pay is calculated based on potential viewer ratings and their contribution to the station. Potential viewership is the viewership that a single talent is expected to garner. The level of contribution refers to how much one favors that station’s programs. The level of contribution is determined by the number of appearances to date, so naturally the more experienced the comedian is, the higher the contribution becomes.” (Variety program director at a major TV station) This time, Friday obtained the “latest gallery list” of popular MC comedians compiled by a major TV station at the end of September 2012. The list shows the minimum salary required to host an hour-long program in the prime time slot (7pm to 11pm). This time, Friday also succeeded in acquiring a gallerist from 10 years ago. The table below is a ranking of the TV pay of popular MC comedians for 2014, compiled by the editorial department based on the list. Let’s look at the ups and downs over the past 10 years since 2014 and analyze who the “real power players” are. ◆ “Don’t Hurt” Duo Shares First Place While popular comedians compete fiercely, the top spot was shared amicably between the two members of “Ucchan Nanchan.” “Now that the comedy of poking fun at people’s appearances or behavior or berating fellow comedians, which is the specialty of Downtown and Tunnels, is being shunned, the inoffensive style of comedy of Teruyoshi Uchimura (60) and Kiyotaka Nanbara (59) is gaining support. Their high pay is partly due to their agency, Maseki Geinosha, negotiating aggressively, but the main reason is that they are still getting high ratings.” (Programming manager at a major station) Chasing the footsteps of these two champions are mid-level comedians. While there are comedians like Bananaman’s Shitara Osamu (51) and Tsuchida Teruyuki (52) who seem to have a relaxed attitude, Cream Stew’s Ueda Shinya (54) and Arita Teppei (53), who are close to their age, take the initiative to liven up the studio and deliver boke and tsukkomi with gusto. As of 2024, the potential viewership is still high and the pay remains high. While some comedians are making great strides, other big names such as Tamori (79) and Sanma Akashiya (69) are seeing their values drop by millions of yen. The aforementioned key station programming manager will provide an explanation. “When it comes to people in their 70s, it’s difficult to get any figures because there’s a disconnect with public sensibilities, and there’s also the risk of a verbal gaffe, so it’s difficult to use. The 700,000 yen figure for the currently inactive Matsumoto Hitoshi (61) is likely a figure that TV stations will present, assuming that he has settled his ongoing lawsuit. Normally it should be no less than 3 million yen. Television stations place importance on viewership ratings among their core demographic (men and women aged 13 to 49). Masatoshi Hamada (61) and Noritake Kinashi (62) are also not popular among the core audience despite their high fees. Young staff on the ground say, “They should use a mid-level MC with a lower fee and spend more money on guests and sets.” .
>>1 The only shows I want to watch because they have this person on them are… Ueda, Arita, and Sanma. These three are also only shows that use multiple young comedians or talents. I watch Ota and Ueda, but not the others.
Companies that keep raising prices because of soaring raw material prices, yet waste huge amounts of money on crappy TV shows and celebrities, should go bankrupt.
Chidori is not funny at all even when he says “Say something funny!” Ariyoshi still has a sharp tongue. I understand he’s popular as a popular guy, but I don’t think he’d be on TV so much if he wasn’t in Yoshimoto.
Sanma has lowered his pay intentionally. Apparently his pay is close to that of a volunteer for the Improvement Committee. The production side couldn’t afford his old pay, so they lowered it to mid-level pay. It’s dangerous that he doesn’t retire and chooses quantity over quality, leaving only the primetime MCs who can make money at his age.
Nanchan doesn’t appear on prime time shows, and even if he does, it’s only once or twice a year. I guess Nanbara would be upset if he doesn’t get the same amount as his partner Ucchan.
1st to 14th place (tie) 14th place (tie) to 30th place. ,dpr_2,f_auto,t_article_image,w_664/wpmedia/2024/11/764b9300184d8a64991fc7b1f9545de6.jpg ,dpr_2,f_auto,t_article_image,w_664/wpmedia/2024/11/f5d72bae427b5c257bf23111902b4c27.jpg
Arita doesn’t get high ratings on shows he hosts solo, and Yabe is like a statue when he hosts solo, so he can’t be used for anything other than soccer shows.
There’s no way Ariyoshi is currently earning less than Audrey, Chidori, or Soshina, so get your act together. In the past, he may have had the style of taking on a lot of work for low pay, but now that he’s the ace of Ota Productions, an unreasonably low pay would be a nuisance to others. It would be weird for other comedians to earn less than Ariyoshi.
Comedians who are on TV so much that not a day goes by without seeing them are in mortgage hell, so I can understand how tough it must be if they don’t have a way of making a living outside of TV.
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