NHK to reduce subscription fees

Streaming online? They better not demand fees for have an internet connection or smart phone!!

Streaming online? They better not demand fees for have an internet connection or smart phone!!

They already ask if your mobile has a TV receiver. If it does, they want their cash.

I'm going to start washing people's windows without their consent and then charge them. They didn't ask for my service and the may not have wanted my service, but I took the choice for them, so now they need to pay.

The broadcaster is trying to position itself as "public media" and retain viewers who are leaving for unpaid or paid video streaming.

Who can blame people for not watching? NHK has basically 4 TV channels, including BS, which I personally think is "BS" because you have to pay even more to get it! Yet the services it provides is not equal to the cost.

its like randomly delivering pizzas to people's houses and demand they pay for it.Legal thuggary

LOL How are you going to lower your subscription fee from the zero Yen you're collecting from me? Are you going to start paying me?

does that mean anyone with an Internet connection has to pay the NHK?

NHK to reduce subscription fees

Just get rid of them you twits.

its like randomly delivering pizzas to people's houses and demand they pay for it.Legal thuggary

Excellent analysis.

They already ask if your mobile has a TV receiver. If it does, they want their cash.

They asked me if my phone was iphone, and I said yes and that pretty much ended that enquiry. If they ask you just tell them you have an iphone, and I think they won't bug about that any more...? or maybe it was just that one time? Anyway, that was my experience..

Who can blame people for not watching?

I don't.

NHK has basically 4 TV channels, including BS, which I personally think is "BS" because you have to pay even more to get it! Yet the services it provides is not equal to the cost.

Preaching to the choir.

If they can't make money legitimately then close down. When they visit I speek Russian if that fails Chinese if that fails French, if that fails German. I'm not going to pay for a service I don't use. Answering the door in armour with an airsoft gun negates their plastic ID badge.

The move announced by NHK Chairman Ryoichi Ueda would affect most people in Japan as national law requires people who install a TV receiver to sign a subscription contract with NHK, also known as Japan Broadcasting Corp.

Hogwash! I'll burn the contract before signing.

sf2kToday  08:02 am JST

does that mean anyone with an Internet connection has to pay the NHK?

I suspect NHK are going along with this in anticipation of finding other ways to screw money out of people.

Dango bongToday  07:12 am JST

its like randomly delivering pizzas to people's houses and demand they pay for it.Legal thuggery

Not really. You buy a TV here and get it connected in the expectation that some pointless old person is going to turn up on your doorstep telling you that you need to sign a contract with NHK in order to watch programs legally. Which is fair enough but it's a different matter when they tell you that you have to pay because your phone, that you bought with no intention of watching TV on, can pick up TV signals.

I am always told that NHK is swimming in money. Can’t confirm this, but I read on various sites that while the average annual salary in Japan is about 4.5 million Yen per year, the average salary for NHK folks is over 10 million Yen per year and for greenhorns 4.6 million Yen. Fee collectors seem to be paid 15000 Yen per household they manage to sign up, so that might explain their tenacity.

Each additional channel I want to subscribe to on cable costs around 800 Yen per month extra, so perhaps NHK should charge something like that. If Katsuto Momii and the rest of the NHK management pay for their golf outings + wining and dining out of their own pockets, the fee could be perhaps lowered even more.

Look out! This move to stream will give nobody an excuse to dodge the fees. They added Android phone users a couple of years ago coz of the NHK app. I’ve managed to dodge them for 17 years coz I don’t watch Japanese TV ever and I have an iPhone. I don’t think this has anything to do with providing service. It’s only about collecting revenue.

What's missing here is the fact that they also want to charge iPad and tablet owners, the fee for being able to receive NHK live streams, regardless of whether we watch it or not!

NHK should abolish the fees altogether but as they're Abe's mouthpiece, it's unlikely!

When they visit I speek Russian if that fails Chinese if that fails French, if that fails German. I'm not going to pay for a service I don't use. Answering the door in armour with an airsoft gun negates their plastic ID badge.

Brilliant!!

Run by a friend of abe, weather broadcast is always wrong, no reason to watch. They are targeting car TVs, and, phones.

When the NHK oyaji comes by smile like you are so excited and slowly say "Nihongo o tabemasen"....repeat it numerous times until he leaves.

Complain all you want; it's a legal requirement and you must pay if you use the services.

No ifs, no buts!

Around 180,000 people in the UK, every year are dragged before the Courts, having being caught on the old "but I don't watch the BBC" thingy; that is, until the mobile detectors catch them in flagrant, proving they were nothing but cheaters and liars!

Then a thousand quid comes knocking on your door, rather than the current 147 quid; unless you'd prefer going to Court.

What amazes is some "Brits" on this site complaining about the NHK asking for a fee, just like the BBC does!!!!

What amazes is some "Brits" on this site complaining about the NHK asking for a fee, just like the BBC does!!!!

Some Brits complain about both.

What is your point?

My point is "don't throw stones...", while acting as if this was a Japan only thing.

And lots of lies claiming they don't watch NHK.

And what's yours?

Complain all you want; it's a legal requirement and you must pay if you use the services.

in the UK your fined if you dont pay , Japan has no punishable fines by law for not paying NHK fees, a law isnt a law if it has no teeth, so until the J gov makes not paying punishable then people will continue not to pay including myself.

if they scrambled their signal and only charged people who want their garbage they would be broke

My point is "don't throw stones...", while acting as if this was a Japan only thing.

Who is acting like that?

My point was many British people complain about having to pay for BBC. Many Brits in Japan complain about paying for NHK. They have that right.

It’s not a difficult idea. I’ll try to simply it further if you don’t get, it but I’m struggling to find an easier way.

iraira - When the NHK oyaji comes by smile like you are so excited and slowly say "Nihongo o tabemasen"....repeat it numerous times until he leaves.

You don't eat Japanese? That's sure to amuse them. I've tried that numerous times over the years. Twice they have returned two days later with an English speaker. I have never paid in nearly two decades of living here. I will never pay either, simply because Japanese TV is utter garbage and I never watch it.

wtfjapan - in the UK your fined if you dont pay , Japan has no punishable fines by law for not paying NHK fees, a law isnt a law if it has no teeth, so until the J gov makes not paying punishable then people will continue not to pay including myself.

Actually, this is an untruth. They introduced penalties maybe two or three years ago. There was a hotel owner who found himself in court last year for not paying NHK.

@Peeping_Tom - Complain all you want; it's a legal requirement and you must pay if you use the services.

This is not true! You are obliged to pay even if you don't use the services. If you have a device capable if receiving NHK broadcasts you are expected to pay whether you watch it or not. This is the rip off that I refuse to be a part of.

No one can be forced to pay for something that is openly accessible. It's not theft if it's given to you without you even asking for it. NHK can easily scramble their channel, but refuse to because they know many will not subscribe to it. The other thing they can do it start running commercials like every other channel in Japan, but with such shoddy TV programs, especially during the afternoon (i.e. shogi program), who will want to advertise on NHK?

It's like what someone said on here on a related topic, you can't charge someone for accessing a website you make that is open to all just because that person has internet access.

we have laws against negative option billing because it's stupid and predatory. C'mon Japan. Put it behind a paywall. If people want it they'll pay for it. If not then you can't violate people's rights.

This isn't difficult

Complain all you want; it's a legal requirement and you must pay if you use the services.

Many of us don't use their services and they still want paying.

And with an attitude like yours, no wonder things never change!

I'm surprised there isn't an "NHK Tax" taken from every single citizen's monthly paycheck yet.

"Do you have a job? Do you have a salary? If yes to either, you must pay the NHK tax!"

Maybe there should be an NHK living fee. If you breath, you must pay 500 yen per day to use the oxygen in Japan.

Actually, this is an untruth. They introduced penalties maybe two or three years ago. There was a hotel owner who found himself in court last year for not paying NHK. hotel owner with multiple TVs is one thing an elderly person or low income earner who just gets by on their pension / salary is another, courts would literally be backed up with 100s thousands of prosecutions. There lies the dilemma crack down hard on non payer and deal with the huge legal fiasco. SO until the NHK can enter your premises with a warrant to check if you have a TV set and then threaten and carry out legal proceedings for those that refuse, nothing will change.

This is the rip off that I refuse to be a part of.

exactly you me and 100s thousands of others, those that have already kowtow to this scam , well sorry theyve got you by the nads now.

Peeping_TomToday 11:53 am JST

My point is "don't throw stones...", while acting as if this was a Japan only thing.

I wasn't aware the BBC had plans to start charging people to watch TV on their phones. That's what's got people annoyed. Signing a contract and paying a subscription fee doesn't bother me in the least, but there's nothing on that's worth paying for so we haven't made a contract but neither have we set up the TV to receive any signals.

And lots of lies claiming they don't watch NHK.

What makes you so sure they're lying? Why would they want to watch it?

What's missing here is the fact that they also want to charge iPad and tablet owners, the fee for being able to receive NHK live streams, regardless of whether we watch it or not!

If that were the case, I'll either tell the shop owner "No way!" (to put it politely) or just go to another country and buy it there.

Some Documentaries are good from NHK but the same news every half an hour aren't worth it to pay, however in UK, customers pay the fees to Broadcast as a whole, Not the Channels individually.

...speak German...

Don't have that ability, but can speak Spanish and Mandarin. I suppose I could pretend to speak German and they'd never know. When I lived in Kyoto, I always stripped down to a towel to meet unwanted visitors. Now, I'm living in a joint house with my BIL and bought a splitter, so as far as NHK knows, we only have one TV (we have three). I guess my BIL pays, but maybe nobody does.

But my wife does love the cooking shows.

peeping tom:

What amazes is some "Brits" on this site complaining about the NHK asking for a fee, just like the BBC does!!!!

There's a big difference here which you conveniently omitted. BBC actually produces some good quality programmes , many of which are sold abroad, even to NHK. Hell, most of the best programmes shown on NHK are actually foreign! Hardly any serious journalism, and nothing to rival to BBC iPlayer.

How do you reduce it from zero?

Slightly more seriously, though, they need to adopt the system most countries have and just say, "Pay if you want it, or you won't get it," and leave those of us who never watch NHK and don't intend to, but still have a TV for DVD players or have an internet connection, alone.

gogogo: "Streaming online? They better not demand fees for have an internet connection or smart phone!!"

They've been doing that already for some time now.

If that were the case, I'll either tell the shop owner "No way!" (to put it politely) or just go to another country and buy it there.

The problem is that most (or all) of the Japanese brands have the TV option (OneSeg/ワンセグ) added by default. So, if you want a smartphone without it, you'd have to buy something like au's Huawei P20 Lite.

I really liked my Xperia, but I won't buy another since I don't want 1-seg. I guess I'll go Chinese this time.

This seems to be a bunch of unhappy foreigners complaining about the way things are done in Japan. Where have I heard that before? Oh yes, here. Everyone is supposed to pay NHK. That is the way it is here. You have one network that is not beholden to government or companies (support by taxes and advertising).

NHK should abolish the fees altogether but as they're Abe's mouthpiece, it's unlikely!

NHK and other media are all out war against Abe. You don't know?

NHK and other media are all out war against Abe. You don't know?

That must explain all the fawning, North Korea-like reporting of Abe we see on NHK. You are aware, of course, that the LDP is on record as having interfered with NHK's editorial decisions?

gokai_wo_manekuToday 08:32 pm JST

This seems to be a bunch of unhappy foreigners complaining about the way things are done in Japan. Where have I heard that before? Oh yes, here. Everyone is supposed to pay NHK. That is the way it is here.

What, I'm supposed to be happy to pay for a function on my phone that I didn't want, had no option not to get and get no use out of?

You have one network that is not beholden to government or companies (support by taxes and advertising).

To quote Katsuto Momii, former NHK Director-General: “When the government is saying, ‘Right,’ we can’t say, ‘Left.’

Not sure why they don't just do what the CBC has in place in Canada; it comes out of taxpayers dollars. No more NHK Nazis coming to your door looking for money.

Owain T. YamanakaToday 01:17 am JST

Not sure why they don't just do what the CBC has in place in Canada; it comes out of taxpayers dollars. No more NHK Nazis coming to your door looking for money.

I take it CBC's actually quite good and that it offers content that taxpayers are happy to watch. I don't mind the pay per use content personally, but I think NHK should do what the BBC does and block content to PCs, tablets and phones for everyone except people who are already paying subscription fees. However I don't suppose all those executive slush funds just fill up themselves so I'm sure there's no chance of a fair, sensible system being implemented.

It's an interesting debate, and you can see the cultural differences between the American and British readers on this. Factor in the changing broadcasting landscape and the license fee is looking a little outdated. I'm from London, and twenty years ago, I had to study how and why the BBC was set up as part of my radio production course. I also went on to work for the BBC World Service for nine years. America has never had the British / European system of paying a license fee to watch content advertisement free. The whole concept is alien to Americans whereas us Europeans are far more used to it.

In the early days of the BBC, I could see the license fee system as being very good; however, fast forward 30 years, and we now have numerous companies providing broadcasting content in the UK. A couple of years ago, there was a loophole where if you didn't watch live TV, you could watch any BBC content on iPlayer without needing a license. That's since closed. Now, if I want to watch BBC content on iPlayer, I must have a TV license. However, I can own a computer, and as long as I don't log into iPlayer (you need an account now), I don't have to buy a license fee. For £150 a year though, I get access to a range of BBC channels, tons of content on the iPlayer set up and access to many BBC radio channels. I often listen to Scottish football games on Saturday on BBC Radio Scotland, and I often watch Scottish content on Scottish BBC via iPlayer. This Tuesday I'll be watching Wales vs Ireland in Welsh commentary O_o as BBC Wales are streaming the game free. All of this content is 100% advert free which is wonderful! Watching content without adverts is fantastic. Plus the BBC also provide quality journalism on TV, radio and the web 24/7. All this costs £12.50 / $16 a month.

Now having said all of that, Netflix has changed the game in many ways. I currently pay them £6 / $7.90 a month because they have a lot of Japanese content on it. I also never watch BBC 1 or BBC 2 nowadays. I use the web and radio a lot, but I do think £12.50 a month is a lot. More importantly, I don't feel I should be forced to pay for something that I don't watch. This license debate is getting bigger in the UK now, and my guess is the BBC will end up being a subscription based content provider via iPlayer in the next ten years. Interesting times. With NHK, my guess is once they go streaming, they'll be saying, if you have a computer, you'll need a TV license.

And now for coffee!

A Chinese or a Korean company should come up with a TV that blocks NHK and make it impossible to receive their signal. I would buy one.

NHK is like the homeless guy that comes up to your car at a stoplight and starts washing your car window EVEN THOUGH you tell him you don't need it, but he demands payment for services you didn't ask for or didn't need.