TVer, Inc.
Type of site
OTT video streaming platform
Available inJapanese
FoundedApril 4, 2006; 17 years ago (April 4, 2006) (as Presentcast, Inc.)
HeadquartersShimbashi,
Minato, Tokyo
,
Japan
Area servedJapan
Owner
Key people
  • Nobuko Wako (President)
  • Masamine Ryūhō (Chairman)
SubsidiariesTVer Technologies
URLtver.jp
AdvertisingYes
RegistrationOptional
UsersIncrease9.52 million per month (as of February 2023)[1]
LaunchedOctober 26, 2015; 8 years ago (October 26, 2015)
Current statusActive

TVer is a Japanese ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) service. It was established in October 2015 by the five commercial broadcasters in Tokyo: Nippon TV, TV Asahi, TBS Television, TV Tokyo, and Fuji Television. It allows viewers to watch TV programs they missed during their initial broadcast for free for one week. Additionally, the service offers simultaneous streaming, allowing viewers to watch programs at the same time as their TV broadcast.

TVer offers content from 115 stations across Japan as of October 2020 and provides access to 650 programs as of 2023.[2]

History

On October 26, 2015, the five Tokyo-based commercial broadcasters, namely Nippon TV, TV Asahi, TBS Television, TV Tokyo, and Fuji Television, launched an AVOD service called TVer. The service offered about 10 contents per week from each station, totaling 50-60 contents per week, which were available for streaming for one week from the TV broadcast. The aim of this service was to help eliminate illegal video distribution. The operation of the service was handled by Presentcast, Inc, a company established in 2006 by nine companies, including the five broadcasters and four advertising agencies: Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Asatsu-DK, and Tokyu Agency.[3][4]

On November 19, 2015, TVer announced that its app had been downloaded over 1 million times.[5] Later, on December 17, 2016, the app reached 5 million downloads.[6]

On October 3, 2016, two local commercial broadcasters in Osaka, MBS TV and ABC TV, began offering their programs on TVer. In addition, the service expanded its content offerings from about 50 programs to approximately 100 programs, including content from the five broadcasters in Tokyo, starting in October.[7]

On March 15, 2017, Yomiuri TV in Osaka began offering their programs on TVer.

By August, 2017, TVer had reached 8.5 million downloads,[8] and by December, it had surpassed 10 million downloads.[9]

On August 26, 2019, the public broadcaster NHK started distributing content on TVer.[10][11] NHK's goal is to increase viewership and public understanding of public broadcasting, and TVer does not require reception equipment capable of receiving NHK broadcasts nor is it subject to a reception contract. Additionally, because NHK is prohibited from advertising by the Broadcasting Law, any advertising revenue generated by TVer will not be allocated to NHK.[11][12]

On April 15, 2019, TVer released the "TVer TV app" that supports Android TV-equipped Bravia and Fire TV, making it possible to watch TVer on television.[13]

In February 2019, TVer announced that its monthly view count exceeded 90 million and its monthly unique visitors exceeded 13 million, stating that it was the second largest online video platform in size after YouTube.[14]

On April 1, 2019, TV Osaka started distributing their content on TVer,[15] followed by Hiroshima TV on October 6, 2019.[16]

On June 1, 2020, Presentcast, Inc announced a third-party allocation of new shares to the five broadcasters in Tokyo to increase its capital stock, along with a change of its name to TVer Inc.[17][18] The shareholding ratio of each of the five broadcasters became 17.9%, making them all equal top shareholders.[18] Furthermore, TVer itself started developing and selling advertising products that meet the needs of advertisers, instead of relying on the participating broadcasters to sell TVer's advertising inventory. With this change, TVer shifted from being a cost center that operated on the operating costs received from the broadcasters to a business company. TVer began operating as a business company in April 2021.[18]

On January 20, 2020, TVer began a demonstration experiment for the simultaneous distribution of television programs. From January 20 to 24 of the same year, TVer live-streamed the evening news programs of the five broadcasters in Tokyo alongside their television broadcasts.[19] On October 3, 2020, TVer announced a three-month experimental live-stream of 32 programs from three broadcasters - Nippon TV, Yomiuri TV, and Chukyo TV, mostly from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. - free of charge until December.[20] Then, on September 17, 2021, Nippon TV, Yomiuri TV, and Chukyo TV announced that they would start live-streaming their terrestrial TV programs on TVer from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. starting on October 2.[21]

On June 23, 2021, TVer announced a third-party allotment of new shares to five major broadcasters in Osaka, namely MBS Media Holdings, ABC TV, Kansai TV, Yomiuri TV, and TV Osaka. After the capital increase, TV Osaka held 1.0%, and the other four companies held 1.8% each. The five broadcasters in Tokyo, who were previously equal leading shareholders, now hold 16.4% each.[22]

On September 30, 2021, TV Tokyo announced that it was preparing to start simultaneously streaming its programs on TVer in December.[23] However, on November 25, TV Tokyo announced that the start of simultaneous streaming would be delayed until after the new year due to delays in the development of the viewing app system for TVer.[24] On February 17 of the following year, TV Tokyo stated its intention to start the service in April, and that TV Asahi, TBS Television, and Fuji Television were also adjusting their schedules to start around the same time.[25]

On April 8, 2022, TVer announced that it would begin offering a simultaneous broadcasting service for programs from 10 companies in Tokyo and Osaka, including the key TV stations in Tokyo: TV Asahi, TBS Television, TV Tokyo, and Fuji Television, starting from April 11, 2022. The service will mainly focus on programs broadcast from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Some programs will also be available for "time-shift playback", allowing viewers to watch from the beginning even if the broadcast is already in progress.[26][27]

In April 2022, TVer announced that it had surpassed 250 million monthly video views in March 2022, setting a new monthly record. TVer's connected TV views have doubled compared to the same month last year, and its share of total views has grown to 25%.[28]

TVer released its first original production series in December 2022, an educational series titled Saikyō no Jikanwari (最強の時間割), which is an educational program.[29][28] In January 2023, It also released their second original series, a variety series titled Home Goro Shiai (褒めゴロ試合).[29]

In March 2023, Alongside SportsBull, TVer started the broadcast games of the Japanese High School Baseball Invitational Tournament.[30]

In 2023, TVer surpassed 650 programs available for streaming. According to a survey conducted by the Mobile Society Research Institute, TVer's awareness rate was 72%, surpassing CyberAgent's Abema, which had a rate of 69.4%.[2] Additionally, according to a survey conducted by Dentsu DY Media Partners, the usage rate of TVer was 39.5%, an increase of 7.5 percentage points compared to the previous year. This rate also exceeded Abema's rate of 34.4%.[31][32]

References

  1. ^ "動画配信、淘汰の時代に 国内草分け、ＧＹＡＯ！サービス終了へ" [In the era of video streaming consolidation, pioneering domestic service GYAO! is set to shut down.]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). March 21, 2023. p. 9.
  2. ^ a b "TVer認知率72%、収益化は道半ば 同時配信開始1年". 日本経済新聞 (in Japanese). 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  3. ^ "民放公式テレビポータル「TVer」スタート! | ウェブ電通報". dentsu-ho.com. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  4. ^ "見逃し配信サービス「TVer（ティーバー）」を民放5社共同で10月開始 : 映画ニュース". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  5. ^ 株式会社インプレス (2015-11-19). "民放5社の無料見逃し配信「TVer」アプリ累計100万ダウンロード突破". AV Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  6. ^ 株式会社インプレス (2016-12-19). "民放テレビ見逃し配信「TVer」が500万ダウンロード。8割がスマホ/タブレット視聴". AV Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  7. ^ 株式会社インプレス (2016-10-03). "民放の無料見逃し配信「TVer」に在阪の毎日放送/朝日放送参加。コンテンツ拡充". AV Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  8. ^ 株式会社インプレス (2017-08-24). "テレビ見逃し配信TVerが刷新、検索性など大幅強化。アプリ850万ダウンロード突破". AV Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  9. ^ "TVer、1000万ダウンロード突破 - 日本経済新聞". www.nikkei.com. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  10. ^ "TVer、NHKの一部番組の見逃し配信を開始｜Screens｜映像メディアの価値を映す". www.screens-lab.jp (in Japanese). 23 August 2019. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  11. ^ a b "ＮＨＫ、２６日からＴＶｅｒ参加 朝ドラ・大河は対象外：朝日新聞デジタル". 朝日新聞デジタル (in Japanese). 2019-08-23. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  12. ^ "「TVer」でのコンテンツ提供について - NHKインターネットサービス利用規約 - NHK". www.nhk.or.jp. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  13. ^ "TVerがテレビで視聴可能に、アプリを15日公開 - 日本経済新聞". www.nikkei.com. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  14. ^ 株式会社インプレス (2019-02-27). "TVerの月間再生数は9,000万超。「YouTubeに次ぐ規模へ」". AV Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  15. ^ "テレビ大阪 人気５番組「TVer」にて見逃し配信スタート！". プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1｜PR TIMES. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  16. ^ "広島テレビ、TVer（ティーバー）に見逃し配信をスタート". 広島ニュース 食べタインジャー (in Japanese). 2023-04-17. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  17. ^ "プレゼントキャストが株式会社TVerへ社名を変更…資本増強、取締役人事も実施 | Media Innovation" (in Japanese). 2020-06-01. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  18. ^ a b c 日経クロステック（xTECH） (19 October 2020). "社名をTVerに変更、来年4月に事業会社化とUIリニューアルを実施". 日経クロステック（xTECH） (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  19. ^ 株式会社インプレス (2020-01-17). "地上波番組を「TVer」で同時配信、民放5局らが実証実験". ケータイ Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  20. ^ "TVer、日本テレビ・読売テレビ・中京テレビの地上波プライムタイムの番組をトライアルでライブ配信｜Screens｜映像メディアの価値を映す". www.screens-lab.jp (in Japanese). 17 September 2020. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  21. ^ "日テレ、ゴールデンタイムのTV番組をネット同時配信 TVerで". ITmedia NEWS (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  22. ^ 日経クロステック（xTECH） (23 June 2021). "在阪民放5社がTVerの株主に、在京民放に続き資本参加". 日経クロステック（xTECH） (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  23. ^ "テレ東が同時配信へ" [TV Tokyo to Distribute Simultaneously]. Asahi Shimbun. October 2, 2021. p. 32.
  24. ^ "テレ東の同時配信、開始遅れ" [TV Tokyo's simultaneous distribution delayed start]. Asahi Shimbun. November 26, 2021. p. 31.
  25. ^ "同時配信、民放４局４月にも" [Simultaneous distribution, 4 commercial broadcasters in April]. Asahi Shimbun. February 18, 2022. p. 31.
  26. ^ "［スキャナー］「同時配信」民放の期待 日テレ先行 ４系列あすから" [［Scanner] Expectations for "Simultaneous Distribution" from Commercial Broadcasters]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). April 10, 2022. p. 3.
  27. ^ "全キー局同時配信、１１日から" [Simultaneous distribution on all key stations, from 11.]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). April 9, 2022. p. 33.
  28. ^ a b "ＴＶｅｒ再生 最多２億５３００万回 ３月 着実に届くＣＭ テレビの強み" [TVer views 253 million times in March Steadily reaching commercials Strengths of TV]. Yomiuri shimbun (in Japanese). May 16, 2022. p. 7.
  29. ^ a b "ＴＶｅｒ初の独自番組 好評 「最強の時間割」 壁越えるヒント" [TVer's first original program, "The Strongest Timetable," a hint to overcome barriers]. Yomiuri Shimbun: 9. April 10, 2023.
  30. ^ "Spring Koshien High School Baseball: 35 games of the tournament, from start to end, live on TVer!". PR TIMES (in Japanese). 26 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  31. ^ "博報堂DYメディアパートナーズ、生活者のメディア接触の現状を捉える「メディア定点調査2023」時系列分析の結果を発表". 日本経済新聞 (in Japanese). 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  32. ^ "メディア定点調査". 博報堂DYメディアパートナーズ メディア環境研究所 (in Japanese). 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2023-05-26.

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