Japan has, as we know, a solid gamer culture. It also had a solid TV culture - until recently. I'm sure this will be a temporary big-dip, and Japanese TV will recover; but there's always the risk that it won't recover to its previous levels, as is the case of terrestrial Brit TV since the invasion of satellite ...
According to one senior executive of the country’s largest commercial television channel, Fuji TV, families who used to tune in to its colourful diet of soap operas, panel games and comedy variety shows may, instead, be drifting away and choosing to spend the same, economically-critical “golden hour” time playing on their Wii.
And to think there are no ads on it yet! What a future games have.
His comments come as Japanese television executives are reeling in horror at recent figures from Japan’s audience-tracking firms: last week was the first in nearly two decades where no single show on any commercial station attracted more than a 9 per cent audience share.
I tell you, when digital distribution is properly up and running on these game boxen, and a new game can be delivered on a whim, television is going to be in proper hot water again. Nintendo's strategy has been so absolutely spot on, too, it brings a tear to my eye:
Parents – the critical decision-makers of family entertainment between 7pm and 9pm – were being wooed by something more interactive than television offers at present.
Sony went for the hardcore, and Nintendo went for the families. It's not going to be the easiest future for Nintendo now - there's lots to live up to, plenty of games to release, expansion to do. But it can't be harder than being in Sony's muddy pit right now, or - perhaps - a television exec's.
(via Evil Avatar)
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