NHK to Be in Red for 3rd Straight Year after Viewing Fee Cut

Tokyo, Jan. 8 (Jiji Press)--Japan Broadcasting Corp., or NHK, is set to be in the red for the third straight year in fiscal 2025, after a cut in its viewing fees in October 2023, it was learned Wednesday.

According to its budget for fiscal 2025, released on the day, the public broadcaster will post a deficit of 40 billion yen in the year from April. The deficit is smaller than 57 billion yen in the fiscal 2024 budget.

NHK will make up the shortfall by using reserve funds. It is rushing to implement structural reform to overcome the fee cut and make ends meet in fiscal 2027.

For fiscal 2025, NHK estimated operating revenues at 603.4 billion yen, up 0.2 pct from the previous year, with income from the viewing fees, which accounts for most of its operating revenues, down 0.2 pct, reflecting a decline in the number of subscribers.

Meanwhile, operating expenditures were put at 643.4 billion yen, down 2.4 pct, as a result of a review of program production costs.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]