On October 7, 2026, Video Research hosted its annual business forum, Video Research Forum 2026, at Tokyo Midtown Hall under the guiding theme “Next STANDARD in Action.” The event brought together broadcasting executives, agency heads, and advertising leaders to discuss data-driven transformation, artificial intelligence integration, and new regional business strategies across eleven distinct sessions.
Industry Forum Focuses on Practical Implementation and Regional Digital Products
- Industry Action: Following last year’s conceptual discussions, the 2026 forum shifted focus to practical implementation, drawing record-breaking registration numbers for its special sessions.
- Regional Diversification: Local broadcasters are successfully launching ancillary digital products, such as news points-reward applications, to combat youth audience drain and secure non-broadcasting revenues.
Media Executives Chart a Data-Driven Future
The centerpiece of the conference was a special panel titled “Evolving Media: Challenges to Create the Future of Media,” featuring prominent leaders from across Japan’s media ecosystem. TV Asahi President Nishi Shin emphasized the necessity of moving quickly on alternative revenue streams, pointing to intellectual property development, live events, startup investments, ABEMA integration, and artificial intelligence as core focus areas to reinvent the traditional television network.
Dentsu President Chisato Matsumoto highlighted the unique driving force of content IP, explaining how a combination of television viewership data, purchasing habits, and location insights can track concrete consumer actions, such as increased beverage consumption and delivery service usage during major events like the June FIFA World Cup. Hakuhodo President Kenji Nagura discussed his company’s shift toward “lifestyle-first” consumer value design, noting that recent expansions in fandom communities offer an untapped well of measurable enthusiasm.
| Executive / Leader | Organization | Key Focus Area Highlighted |
|---|---|---|
| Nishi Shin | TV Asahi | IP development, live events, startup investments, ABEMA, and AI integration |
| Chisato Matsumoto | Dentsu | Combining TV ratings with purchasing and location data to measure consumer behavior |
| Kenji Nagura | Hakuhodo | Lifestyle-first design and quantifying fandom community heat via social data |
| Suzuki Yuichi | Okayama Broadcasting | News points-reward app engaging 18–34 demographics and generating regional web consulting revenue |
| Iwata Jun | Nagano Asahi Broadcasting | Cross-company production cooperation, local sports broadcasting, and joint sponsor sales |
Local Stations Pivot Toward Regional Problem-Solving
Away from major metropolitan networks, regional broadcasters demonstrated how economic survival requires moving past traditional transmission models. In a session dedicated to local futures, Okayama Broadcasting President Suzuki Yuichi shared details of their “News Points App,” a platform allowing users to earn points by viewing news and video advertisements. The application has surpassed 6.5 million monthly page views, proving particularly effective at engaging the 18-to-34 demographic while generating roughly 50 million yen annually in web consulting and DX support for regional businesses.
Similarly, Nagano Asahi Broadcasting President Iwata Jun outlined efforts to unify internal corporate goals through company-wide surveys and to deepen investments in local sporting events. By strengthening broadcasts of regional B.League, J.League, V.League, and high school baseball fixtures alongside joint sponsor sales with other media outlets, regional entities are transforming from simple information distributors into active regional problem solvers.
Establishing Unified Metrics for Advertisers
Addressing the friction of fragmented advertising metrics, Suntory Holdings Executive Officer Akiko Suzuki, speaking as the Japan Advertisers Association Media Committee Chair, welcomed ongoing industry efforts to establish common yardsticks across television and digital platforms. She cautioned, however, that standardized metrics are merely a starting point for ensuring that advertisers can accurately verify message delivery.
Complementing these discussions, J.League Chairman Yoshifumi Nonomura emphasized the ongoing cultural importance of television programming in encouraging children to take up sports, while Dentsu Executive Yayoi Ishiwatari introduced KICK OFF!, a soccer program broadcast on 32 stations nationwide covering regional J clubs.
For those unable to attend the Tokyo Midtown Hall proceedings, event archives remain accessible via the Video Research Forum 2026 Official Site through January 12, 2027.
