By Tadashi Sudo

[Anime Broadcasting Business will undergo a Sudden Change]
Broadcasting business will change greatly by the complete transition to ground wave digital. In short, ground wave stations that had privilege of limited 12 channels will be equaled to many other cable broadcasting and satellite stations.
However, this change does not start suddenly in 2011. Privilege of ground wave stations will be gradually taken away in next few years. The start of BS11 that has Anime broadcasting is one of the changes. To be paid attention here is that BS11 has made Anime broadcasting business as its core. In cases when high audience rating is not needed like ground wave, Anime is judged to be stable and sound content to increase Anime viewers.

[Audience Rating Demanded in ground wave Era?]
TV Anime is not suitable for ground wave broadcasting business when high audience rating is demanded. However, when channels become multipolar and expectation of audience rating towards each programs decreases greatly, Anime programs that can get 1%, 2% audience rate turns out into attractive contents.
In fact, in the cable channel world that already multipolarized, Animax and Kids station is one of the top broadcasting stations in number of households with viewing contract and viewers.
If this happens, there may be cases that broadcasting stations don’t hesitate paying much in order to secure new Anime works. Ground wave stations that have claimed fund responsibilities to production side to air its Anime on TV, will need to change its stance in the world where all stations are equal.
Therefore, the way of thinking that Anime cannot collect profit by TV broadcasting will completely change to Anime programs collecting profit by broadcasting fee.
This is a good news for Anime production side but this is only one of the possibilities towards 2011. No one is sure about what will happen but Anime business today is becoming fluid. The peacefulness of 2007 could have been a silence before the storm. 2008 may be the first year towards the time of upheaval.