TBS Television

TBS Television is the television broadcasting operation associated with Tokyo Broadcasting System and is based in Tokyo, Japan. Its terrestrial service, commonly branded as TBS Television or simply TBS, broadcasts on channel 6 in the Kantō region under the call sign JORX-DTV. The station is the flagship broadcaster of the Japan News Network (JNN), a nationwide commercial television news and programming network built around regional affiliates. It is one of the five major private broadcasters headquartered in Tokyo and operates within the wider TBS Group under TBS Holdings, Inc. The station’s direct predecessor was Radio Tokyo, a general broadcaster established in 1951. Radio Tokyo obtained a television preparatory license in 1954 and began television broadcasting on April 1, 1955, using the short-form identity KRT. At launch it was Japan’s second privately owned television station, following Nippon Television. Radio Tokyo initially operated both radio and television, but television rapidly became the more important business. The company adopted the name Tokyo Broadcasting System in 1960, and the KRT identity was replaced by TBS. TBS played a central role in the creation of Japan’s commercial television network structure. In 1959 it joined with stations in other regions to establish the Japan News Network. The network’s news agreement emphasized regional reporting, the exchange of news materials among affiliates, and a distinct identity separate from rival commercial networks. TBS also became associated with the Five Station Alliance, which strengthened cooperation among several major broadcasters in programming and other operations. During its early decades, TBS combined imported American entertainment with locally produced Japanese programming. Series such as Adventures of Superman, Lassie, 77 Sunset Strip, and Ben Casey were important early attractions, while the station gradually expanded its own production capabilities. Ben Casey achieved an especially high audience rating for a foreign series in Japan. TBS also introduced technical innovations, including early domestic studio-camera development with Toshiba, color broadcasting, electronic news gathering, stereo programming, and an early Japan–United States satellite broadcast. TBS became particularly influential in the 1960s and 1970s. Its schedule reorganization in 1961 helped popularize a one-hour evening programming structure that was later adopted more broadly in the Japanese television industry. The station’s programming traditionally combined news, drama, variety, sports, information programs, family entertainment, and imported content. Its long-running association with the Ultra Series began in 1966, while its later entertainment profile was strengthened by programs such as Kinniku Banzuke, Sasuke, and Takeshi’s Castle. Sasuke became widely known outside Japan through international adaptations and broadcasts under the Ninja Warrior name. TBS diversified beyond advertising-supported broadcasting during periods of strong growth. It invested in cultural, educational, technology, housing, event, and real-estate-related activities, including facilities and ventures connected with its Akasaka headquarters. The oil crisis of 1973 exposed difficulties in several of these peripheral investments, after which the company refocused more heavily on broadcasting and television. During the 1970s it also increased the use of external program production, partly in response to labor costs and the success of outsourced content. The broadcaster reached a strong competitive position around the late 1970s and early 1980s. Its slogan “TBS for the BEST” accompanied a period in which TBS led the Tokyo flagship stations in turnover for several consecutive years and achieved strong ratings across the JNN network. In the 1980s, however, Fuji Television and other competitors increasingly challenged its audience position. TBS attempted schedule changes, youth-oriented programming, and ne…

TBS Television traces its roots to Radio Tokyo, which was established in 1951 as a general broadcaster. The company pursued a private television license during the early development of Japanese commercial broadcasting and received a television preparatory license in 1954. After completing its television facilities, it received an official license in January 1955 and began service on April 1 of that year. The station was initially known as Radio Tokyo TV and was commonly identified by the abbreviation KRT. It became Japan’s second privately owned television station after Nippon Television. In its first years, the station operated alongside Radio Tokyo’s radio business and relied on a mixture of imported American series and domestically produced programming. Its television revenues quickly grew faster than those of the radio division. TBS also participated in technical development, working with Toshiba on an early domestically produced studio camera and taking part in an international television test transmission in China in 1956. The station’s network role expanded in 1959. After earlier cooperation with regional broadcasters, KRT signed a news agreement with stations across Japan and formed the Japan News Network. JNN created a structured reporting and material-sharing system in which affiliated stations gathered news in their own regions and supplied it to the network. This arrangement helped establish TBS as the central Tokyo station of one of Japan’s principal commercial news networks. Television ownership increased rapidly in Japan during the late 1950s, particularly around the televised wedding of Crown Prince Akihito and Michiko Shoda. KRT carried the event in a national relay involving numerous stations. In the following years, the station invested in color technology and began regular color broadcasting in 1960. In November of that year, Radio Tokyo changed its corporate name to Tokyo Broadcasting System, reflecting television’s growing importance and replacing the KRT identity with TBS. TBS reached a period of strong influence during the 1960s. A 1961 schedule redesign placed youth-oriented music and entertainment in earlier evening slots, imported series in a later slot, and TBS-produced drama in prime time. The approach helped establish the one-hour evening schedule as a common pattern in Japanese television. TBS continued to develop domestic production while reducing its relative dependence on American series after the middle of the decade. The station also covered the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 through an early Japan–United States satellite broadcast. The company diversified during the 1960s and early 1970s into technology, education, publishing, cultural projects, housing exhibitions, event facilities, and real estate. TBS Hall and other facilities supported these activities. The oil crisis and wider economic difficulties made several peripheral investments less successful, leading TBS to sell or reduce some non-core holdings and concentrate resources on broadcasting. At the same time, it increased its use of external production companies as a way to manage costs and respond to the popularity of outsourced programs. TBS was highly competitive in the late 1970s. It recorded strong turnover and ratings, and its “TBS for the BEST” slogan represented the network’s confidence during this period. From the early 1980s onward, Fuji Television and other broadcasters eroded its ratings lead. TBS experimented with younger-skewing schedules and new news formats, including JNN News 22 Prime Time, but faced difficulty displacing rival programs. The station nevertheless remained a major broadcaster and continued to invest in satellite, information, production, and other media-related businesses. The company’s corporate structure changed substantially on April 1, 2009. Tokyo Broadcasting System changed its name to Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc., while the television broadcasting operation, broadcasting license, facilities, and related cultural and event activities were transferred to a newly established company that retained the TBS identity. TBS Television consequently became a licensed private terrestrial broadcaster and joined the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association. Radio operations were separated into TBS Radio. TBS’s content portfolio has included major Japanese news, drama, variety, sports, children’s programming, and game-show properties. The Ultra Series began its association with TBS in 1966, and the network later became closely identified with Kinniku Banzuke and its successor format Sasuke. The latter achieved international recognition through broadcasts and adaptations under the Ninja Warrior name. Takeshi’s Castle also became an internationally circulated Japanese game-show format. In the 2010s, TBS extended its activities into paid online video. In 2017, TBS Holdings joined TV Tokyo, Nikkei, WOWOW, Dentsu, and Hakuhodo DY Media Partners in creating Premium Platform Japan, the company behind Paravi. This initiative reflected the broader shift from a purely terrestrial channel model toward multi-platform distribution. TBS Television remains the Kantō flagship of JNN and a major source of Japanese broadcast and entertainment content.

1. 2017Premium Platform Japan and Paravi initiative announced

   TBS Holdings joined other media companies in creating Premium Platform Japan to offer paid online video services.

   Source
2. 2009TBS Television established as the broadcasting company

   A corporate split transferred the television broadcasting license and related operations from the holding company to TBS Television.

   Source
3. 1979“TBS for the BEST” campaign adopted

   TBS introduced the “TBS for the BEST” promotional slogan during a period of strong ratings and turnover.

   Source
4. 1966TBS association with the Ultra Series began

   The Ultra Series began its long association with TBS, helping establish one of the network’s best-known entertainment franchises.

   Source
5. 1963Early Japan–United States satellite news broadcast

   TBS participated in one of the first satellite broadcasts between Japan and the United States, covering the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

   Source
6. 1960Radio Tokyo became Tokyo Broadcasting System

   The company adopted the Tokyo Broadcasting System name as television became its principal business and began regular color broadcasting.

   Source
7. 1959Japan News Network formed

   KRT and regional stations established the Japan News Network, with KRT serving as its Tokyo flagship.

   Source
8. 1955Television service launched

   Radio Tokyo TV began broadcasting on April 1 as Japan’s second privately owned television station.

   Source
9. 1951Radio Tokyo established

   Radio Tokyo was established as a general broadcaster and became the corporate predecessor of TBS Television.

   Source

A large, general-interest Japanese commercial broadcaster combining national news-network leadership with family entertainment, scripted programming, variety formats, sports, events, and increasingly digital and international content distribution.

• TBS Television terrestrial serviceTerrestrial television channel1955

  The main TBS service is the commercial terrestrial television channel serving the Kantō region on channel 6 under the call sign JORX-DTV. Its schedule covers news, drama, variety, sports, information, family entertainment, and special events. As the Tokyo flagship of JNN, it also distributes and receives news content through the national affiliate network.

• JNN news programmingNews broadcasting1959

  TBS provides the Tokyo core of the Japan News Network, coordinating national news coverage with affiliated stations. The JNN model is based on regional reporting, exchange of news materials, and network distribution, giving TBS a central role in Japanese commercial television journalism.

• Ultra SeriesScience-fiction television franchise1966

  The Ultra Series is a science-fiction and tokusatsu franchise associated with TBS from its early period. TBS broadcast and supported the franchise beginning in 1966, while production was generally handled by Tsuburaya Productions. The franchise later moved to TV Tokyo, but remains an important part of TBS’s historical programming legacy.

• Takeshi's CastleGame and variety show

  Takeshi’s Castle is a physical-comedy game show produced for Japanese television and subsequently dubbed, edited, and rebroadcast in numerous international markets. Its obstacle-course structure and humorous presentation made it one of the most recognizable Japanese television formats outside Japan.

• Kinniku BanzukeCompetition and game show

  Kinniku Banzuke was a TBS game and physical-competition program that ran for seven seasons. Its challenges and competitive format provided the foundation for Sasuke, one of TBS’s most successful exportable entertainment properties.

• SasukeObstacle-course competition format

  Sasuke is a TBS obstacle-course competition program and a spinoff of Kinniku Banzuke. International broadcasters have commonly associated the format with the Ninja Warrior title. Its structure has inspired related adaptations and similar programs in markets outside Japan.

• ParaviOnline video service2017

  Paravi was a paid online video initiative established through Premium Platform Japan, a joint company backed by TBS Holdings and other Japanese media and advertising companies. It represented TBS’s move toward subscription and digital distribution beyond terrestrial broadcasting.

• 1979TBS for the BEST

  Japan

  TBS adopted the “TBS for the BEST” slogan during a period of strong ratings and financial performance. The campaign presented the broadcaster as a leading source of television programming and was associated with its competitive peak around the late 1970s and early 1980s.

  Outcome. The slogan became identified with TBS’s high-performance period.

  Source

• 2017Entry into a joint paid online-video platformStrategy

  The growth of online video created pressure for Japanese broadcasters to develop subscription and digital distribution businesses alongside terrestrial television.

  What changed. TBS Holdings joined TV Tokyo, Nikkei, WOWOW, Dentsu, and Hakuhodo DY Media Partners in establishing Premium Platform Japan for the Paravi service.

  Aftermath. The initiative extended TBS’s distribution strategy into online video and positioned the broadcaster within a multi-platform media business.

  TBS Holdings ownership stake in Premium Platform Japan. 31.5% (At the company’s establishment in 2017)

  Source
• 2009Separation of the television broadcasting businessStrategy

  Tokyo Broadcasting System reorganized its corporate structure to separate holding-company functions from the licensed television business.

  What changed. TBS Holdings transferred the television broadcasting license, facilities, events, and related cultural activities to the newly established TBS Television company.

  Aftermath. TBS Television became a private terrestrial core broadcaster and joined the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association, while TBS Holdings operated as the group holding company.

  Source
• 1960Corporate identity changed from Radio Tokyo to Tokyo Broadcasting SystemStrategy

  Television had overtaken radio as the company’s principal business, making the Radio Tokyo name less representative of its operations.

  What changed. The company changed its name to Tokyo Broadcasting System and adopted TBS as its principal identity.

  Aftermath. The TBS identity became the enduring brand for the broadcaster and its wider corporate group.

  Source
• 1959Creation of the Japan News NetworkStrategy

  TBS needed a structured national network for news gathering and distribution as television ownership and commercial broadcasting expanded across Japan.

  What changed. KRT signed a news agreement with regional stations and established JNN, assigning stations regional reporting responsibilities and creating a system for sharing news materials.

  Aftermath. JNN became one of Japan’s principal commercial television news networks, with TBS as its Tokyo flagship.

  Source

• 2017TBS Holdings joined partners to establish Premium Platform Japan for Paravi

  TBS and five other media companies announced plans to establish a joint company offering paid online video services. TBS Holdings became the largest shareholder of Premium Platform Japan, the company associated with the Paravi service.

  M&AOther
  Source
• 2009TBS Television became the licensed general broadcaster within the TBS Holdings reorganization

  A corporate split transferred the television broadcasting business and broadcasting license into the newly established TBS Television company, while TBS Holdings retained the group holding-company role.

  Other
  Source

1. Tokyo Broadcasting System Television
2. TBS Television official website