Q&A: How will Japan public broadcaster NHK’s new streaming service affect viewers?

With more young people turning away from traditional television, a revised Broadcasting Act was passed by Japan’s National Diet in May, making it mandatory for public broadcaster NHK to offer internet streaming of its programs. This new service will begin in October 2025, marking what NHK President Nobuo Inaba called a “historic turning point” for the broadcaster, which has focused primarily on television. The Mainichi Shimbun explores what changes will occur, what kind of services will be provided and the potential challenges.

Fees for app users

Question: We can already watch NHK programs online via services like NHK Plus, so what will change?

Answer: Until now, NHK’s internet content was classified as “optional services” under the Broadcasting Act, meant to complement television broadcasting. NHK Plus allowed viewers to stream shows like historical dramas, morning dramas, and news programs from NHK’s general and educational channels in real-time or watch them on-demand for up to a week after airing. However, this service was only available to those who owned a TV and paid the license fee, and people without a television could not access it.

With the revised law, NHK’s internet streaming will now be classified as a “mandatory service” on par with TV broadcasting. As a general rule, all broadcast programs will be streamed, and people without a television will be able to access these shows by paying a viewing fee. NHK plans to announce the full details of the service this fall, but it has said that simultaneous and on-demand streaming will be offered in a format similar to NHK Plus. The content streamed will mirror broadcast programming, so there won’t be any internet-exclusive shows. The period for on-demand streaming will remain the same — one week after broadcast.

Q: Will I be charged just for owning a smartphone or computer?

A: Simply owning a smartphone or computer won’t commit you to paying the viewing fee. However, if you download a viewing app and register with an ID, you’ll likely be subject to the fee. If you already own a TV and pay the license fee, there will be no additional charge for the internet service. NHK is considering making the cost for internet-only viewers the same 1,100 yen per month (about $7.80) as the terrestrial TV license fee, partly because rights issues and expenses may initially prevent NHK from streaming satellite programs.

Q: Will there be any changes to existing services?

A: NHK will stop providing free text-based news outside of broadcasts, such as its web pages on politics and economic issues. The broadcaster stopped updating these services in March. Instead, a new category called “program-related information” will be introduced as part of the revised law, becoming a mandatory offering.

The previous service had drawn criticism from newspaper publishers, who felt it was expanding NHK’s operations in a way that unfairly competed with articles produced by private media companies. In response, the new service will be limited to information closely related to NHK programs. NHK is considering providing program-related information in areas like news, education, medical, health care and social welfare, while emergency information during disasters and major incidents will continue to be available for free to everyone.

Q: I heard NHK wanted internet streaming to become a mandatory service. Is that true?

A: Yes, that’s true. With fewer people owning televisions every year, NHK has been increasingly concerned about the future of TV broadcasting. The shift toward making internet streaming a mandatory service aligns with NHK’s long-standing goal of evolving from a “public broadcaster” to a “public media” outlet that embraces the internet.

Competing with private broadcasters and newspapers

Q: What challenges does NHK face moving forward?

A: Both the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association and the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association have expressed concerns about NHK’s internet expansion, given that it is funded by substantial license fees. Commercial broadcasters, which rely on advertising revenue, and newspapers, which depend on subscription fees, worry that a large-scale NHK internet presence could upset fair competition and erode media multiplicity, such as the dual broadcasting model where the public broadcaster coexists with its commercial rivals. NHK has established committees to address these concerns, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will also form a committee to monitor fair competition.

The revised law also requires NHK to offer a free trial service to people who aren’t yet paying fees, to promote its streaming service. Since this could create a “freeloading” issue where some people use the service for free while others pay, NHK is considering displaying prompts to encourage people to sign up and potentially lowering video quality for free users.

Q: Covering the costs for the internet service and user demand are also issues, aren’t they?

A: With the internet service becoming mandatory, NHK plans to eliminate the previous 20-billion-yen (approx. $142.7 million) annual cap on internet-related costs. NHK has stated that it does not intend to increase this spending excessively, but with concerns about the service expansion, the total cost of running it will be closely watched. It’s also unclear how many people will subscribe to the internet service, which is tied to the TV license fee, making future demand uncertain.

Q: What role will NHK play in the internet age?

A: NHK President Inaba noted that misinformation and disinformation tend to spread rapidly online. He emphasized that NHK’s goal is to provide “a reliable reference point” for accurate and trustworthy information in the digital space, aiming to “correct the imbalance of information on the internet and help foster a proper worldview.” Observers will be checking closely whether NHK can fulfill this role.

(Japanese original by Misaki Morokuma, Cultural News Department)