From our other sites
The story
On the 13th, NHK announced the lineup for this year’s New Year’s Eve “77th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen” singing contest. K-pop acts, which had been gaining prominence in recent years, were cut down to just two groups this time — ILLIT and &TEAM — a sharp drop from two years ago, when a record six groups appeared. On the 5ch “Geisoku Sokuho+” board, opinions were divided over the reason for the decline. Some pointed to sagging ratings and a weaker yen making booking terms less attractive, while others cited a comeback by domestic idol groups like =LOVE and CUTIE STREET. ILLIT’s popularity was also discussed, with some crediting the group’s goodwill to having members who speak Japanese.
Fri, Nov 13, 1:13 PM
A press conference announcing the lineup for NHK’s New Year’s Eve “77th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen” (airing from 7:20 PM) was held on the 13th, revealing this year’s performers. K-pop acts, which had been drawing attention in recent years, showed a declining trend.
Eight groups were confirmed as first-time performers, including the popular idol groups “=LOVE” and “CUTIE STREET,” as well as Stardust’s artist collective “EBiDAN.”
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here
What people said
Lost to the power of cute
There's been way too much mass-produced junk
Honestly, zero would be fine too
https://blog-imgs-169.fc2.com/y/a/r/yarakan/20240105200051b6b.png
https://blog-imgs-169.fc2.com/y/a/r/yarakan/20240105200048c05.png
It's obvious at a glance once you look at the ratings graph
Ratings are everything, if you ask me
Serves 'em right lol
They're basically an underground idol act with a lot of media exposure
but even they couldn't push that through in the end
Just make it zero already
If you're gonna bring in a K-something, bring Bruno Mars or Taylor Swift instead
There's no way performers on that level would ever agree to come on
I'll just watch for the cute 'Cutie' crew (a pun on CUTIE STREET)
If you absolutely must do Kōhaku, just have the announcers sing for six hours straight
had by far the worst ratings in the show's history
Lol, embarrassing old-man take
There's that comeback, sure, but it's probably also because Korean acts just aren't breaking through at all here
Since they can't do any talking on variety shows
there's not much use for them, I guess
Lol, she's just saying that for PR
Apparently two of the members are Japanese
Are they just not popular there?
The pay's probably dirt cheap
Kids these days sure are fickle
Maybe the youth demographic is shifting from Gen Z to Gen Alpha
Wonder what happened to them
Isn't that Sakura Miyawaki's group?
That's all I know about them
Major domestic girl idol groups
Spotify monthly listeners
🎉 2026 Kōhaku performers 🎉
1,149,515 =LOVE 🎉
985,381 AKB48 🎉
871,024 CUTIE STREET 🎉
761,004 FRUIT ZIPPER 🎉
658,694 Nogizaka46 🎉
647,795 NiziU
530,977 CANDY TUNE
495,461 Momoiro Clover Z
474,403 iLiFE!
472,303 Phantom Siita
407,445 Morning Musume.
379,371 Chō Tokimeki♡ Sendenbu
324,365 ME:I
289,745 ≠ME
284,418 Sakurazaka46
275,972 Juice=Juice
217,615 Hinatazaka46
https://dec.2chan.net/up2/src/fu7535988.jpeg
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
NHK’s Kōhaku lineup tends to be chosen with an eye toward ratings and social-media buzz, and the number of K-pop acts booked is often treated as a direct barometer of the Korean wave’s rising and falling popularity in Japan. On the thread, theories circulated such as “the weak yen has made fee negotiations harder” and “Japanese girl idols are making a comeback,” but it’s worth noting these are all speculation from 5ch posters — NHK has never officially explained its selection criteria. Some posters also claimed the 2023 broadcast, which featured a record number of K-pop acts, had especially low ratings, but that too is just an individual poster’s claim, not a verified causal link between the number of K-pop performers and the ratings. As for ILLIT, their goodwill was tied to having members who speak Japanese, but that should be read as separate from the group’s actual popularity or the real reasoning behind their booking.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geisoku Sokuho+) thread “[Kōhaku] K-pop acts plummet — only ILLIT and &TEAM remain, down from a record six two years ago.”
Leave a Reply