Wii stealing Japanese prime-time TV audiences

Fuji TV, TBS, and other Japanese broadcasting channels are now facing a more formidable rival over Japanese prime-time TV audiences other than each other: the Nintendo Wii.

Prime-time hours – 7 pm to 9 pm – were usually spent watching soap operas, game shows, and variety shows on TV, until Japanese families discovered a more interactive form of entertainment being offered by the family-oriented Wii console.  A TBS executive shared his thoughts on the matter:

The quality of programming has always been a little cyclical in Japan, but there has never been a period of decline like the one we are seeing now. There are outside factors at work. One is people watching TV on their cell phones where we canÂ’t track them, but the really big factor is the time people are spending on the Wii.

But the TBS executive adds that the Wii still hasn’t proved its ability to steal TV audiences against the television heavyweights, such as the TV coverages of the Olympic Games, World Cup football, as well as the Japanese baseball season finale.

The Wii isn’t just out to win over only the prime-time audiences, though. With upcoming health and fitness titles such as Wii Fit, the motion-sensing console is also out to get the market share from the myriad of workout and exercise shows that comprise most of daytime television.

Despite the fact that the Wii’s rivals – Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 – have far more superior hardware specs, many people are going gaga over Ninty’s console, even investors. Nintendo’s stock is currently rising and has overcome Sony’s, which is saying much considering that Sony has about eight times the global revenues of Nintendo and offers a diverse range of products.

Now that Japanese families prefer whiling their family time away with the motion-sensitive Wiimote more than the TV remote, will Nintendo maintain its success despite what naysayers believe? Only time will tell.

Fuji TV, TBS, and other Japanese broadcasting channels are now facing a more formidable rival over Japanese prime-time TV audiences other than each other: the Nintendo Wii.

Prime-time hours – 7 pm to 9 pm – were usually spent watching soap operas, game shows, and variety shows on TV, until Japanese families discovered a more interactive form of entertainment being offered by the family-oriented Wii console.  A TBS executive shared his thoughts on the matter:

The quality of programming has always been a little cyclical in Japan, but there has never been a period of decline like the one we are seeing now. There are outside factors at work. One is people watching TV on their cell phones where we canÂ’t track them, but the really big factor is the time people are spending on the Wii.

But the TBS executive adds that the Wii still hasn’t proved its ability to steal TV audiences against the television heavyweights, such as the TV coverages of the Olympic Games, World Cup football, as well as the Japanese baseball season finale.

The Wii isn’t just out to win over only the prime-time audiences, though. With upcoming health and fitness titles such as Wii Fit, the motion-sensing console is also out to get the market share from the myriad of workout and exercise shows that comprise most of daytime television.

Despite the fact that the Wii’s rivals – Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 – have far more superior hardware specs, many people are going gaga over Ninty’s console, even investors. Nintendo’s stock is currently rising and has overcome Sony’s, which is saying much considering that Sony has about eight times the global revenues of Nintendo and offers a diverse range of products.

Now that Japanese families prefer whiling their family time away with the motion-sensitive Wiimote more than the TV remote, will Nintendo maintain its success despite what naysayers believe? Only time will tell.