Pay and Television Appearances in the Japanese Entertainment Industry

I found some interesting sources (both in Japanese) on pay and television appearances in the Japanese entertainment industry.  I don’t know how reliable these sources are, but, well, they’re still interesting.

Pay

http://geinoupro.com/guarantee.html
Archived

Unfortunately, there’s no clear date for these numbers, but it says “2016” at the bottom of the page.  There are a bunch of different categories and in each category are listed some famous people/examples and their estimated yearly earnings/pay per project.

(Generally speaking, 100 million yen ≈ 1 million USD, or 100 yen ≈ 1 USD.)

In the actors section, there’s Takeda Tetsuya, who has appeared in the Gaki No Tsukai New Years Eve Batsu before and is also very often parodied in Gaki No Tsukai and other comedy shows, at 80 million yen/year.

In the actresses section, there’s Yoshitaka Yuriko, who has appeared in the Gaki No Tsukai New Years Eve Batsu before, at 260 million yen/year.

In the singers section, some names that have been parodied in Gaki before: Kuwata Keisuke, Yazawa Eikichi, and Mori Shinichi.

In the comedians section, there is (limiting mentions to people who are both famous and whom I know have appeared on Gaki before) Matsuko Deluxe (she shouldn’t be in this section.  She should probably categorized as a general/non-specific tarento), Hamada Masatoshi and Matsumoto Hitoshi, Miyasako Hiroyuki and Hotohara Toru (Ameagari Kesshitai), Chihara Junior, and Sekine Tsutomu.

Some of the highest sports earners are Tanaka Masahiro (MLB), Kuroda Hiroki (MLB; last played in 2014, though, so the list may be from that year or older), Nishikori Kei (tennis), Darvish Yu (MLB), Ishikawa Ryo (golf), Kagawa Shinji (Premier League, Bundesliga), Honda Keisuke (Serie A), and Ichiro (MLB).

Creators of the biggest manga are high up there: Oda Eiichiro of One Piece and Toriyama Akira of Dragonball taking in A-list Hollywood/CEO level yearly earnings.

Variety TV show pay: the production costs for one hour of a prime time variety show ranges from 20 million to 30 million yen.  An A-list MC for such a program (e.g. Downtown) earns 2 million to 3 million yen while major guests go from 300k to 800k yen and medium level comedians from 100k to 300k yen.

Drama TV: production costs for prime time dramas cost per hour anywhere from 15 million yen to 70 million yen.  NHK Taiga dramas are in a different tier, spending more than 100 million yen per hour.   The lead role in a drama (1 season about 4 months) takes in from 1 million to 2 million yen per episode.

Work outside of TV/media (for example, entertainment at some event): Medium-level comedian earns between 200k and 500k yen/event, a top model at 500k yen, and an A-list tarento at 1 million yen.

For TV show appearances (I think non-MC, so as a guest), an A-list tarento earns between 1 million to 2 million per episode on the major national networks (half for TV Tokyo, since TV Tokyo is a regional network).

Producers at major TV networks earn from 10 million (mid-level) to 20 million yen and above (executive producer) per year, producers at production companies earn about 500k yen per year, and an AD (assistant director) at a production company earns around 180k yen per month.

But the most interesting information to me here, at the bottom of the page, is how the revenue of entertainers is split between the entertainer and the talent management agency in which he or she resides.  Talent agencies in the Japanese entertainment industry are really powerful and I would say are an oligopoly that sit squarely in the middle of the negotiating table between the entertainers and the places at which they hope entertain (TV, movies, commercials, events, etc.).

Here is a ranked list of the most powerful talent agencies, from the same website: http://geinoupro.com/top100.html.  (Archived.)  At number 3, you see Yoshimoto, Downtown’s talent agency, as well as that of the rest of the Gaki cast (Hosei, Cocorico, even License).  A huge majority of (if not practically all) Kansai-based comedians are from Yoshimoto.

An entertainer finding any kind of entertainment work on the side without going through their agency is a no-no (probably has that in their contracts).  If the MC of a popular TV show is from a certain talent agency that’s powerful, the agency can stuff that show’s guests every episode with their own entertainers.  If you notice that the participants/guests at shows hosted by Downtown or Ninety-Nine seem to be over-represented by Yoshimoto comedians, that’s not a coincidence.

On the other side of that, if you cross a talent agency, you can get blacklisted.  If a powerful agency denies a TV network its stable of comedians or star actors, that’s major trouble for that network’s variety shows and dramas.  If a powerful agency has good relations (or demands good relations, using its power as a stick) with other agencies and networks, a blacklisted entertainer will have real trouble getting any kind of work (the term for this in Japanese is 干される, “to be dried.”  Kinda sounds like the English “hung out to be dried,” but blackballed or blacklisted is the real meaning).  The usual ways that can happen to an entertainer is if he angers someone high up or tries to break his contract either to try to move to another agency or go independent (create his own agency).  Trying to move to another agency – which one would think should be made easy for entertainers in a capitalist economy – is tricky especially if agencies are on good terms with each other and want to limit turnover and instability in their stable of entertainers.  Trying to create your own agency, of course, is just adding a purely new entrant into the market, so you wouldn’t expect other agencies to really like that.  Yet, moves to other agencies and creations of new agencies do happen, either because the entertainer is on good terms with their current agency (probably the most important factor) or when it’s a move to a larger/more powerful agency (e.g. a regionally successful tarento moving to national-level media) or when it’s a powerful entertainer creating their own agency.  For example, Downtown probably could create their own agency if they really wanted to.  Beat Takeshi created his own talent agency.

But let’s go back again to how the revenue of entertainers is split between the entertainer himself and the talent agency in which he or she resides, on the bottom of this page.  What I noticed (and what you might already have heard if you watch Japanese variety TV and entertainers speak about this subject – it’s not a secret or anything and is openly talked about on TV) is how large a share of an entertainer’s revenue agencies take and how much it varies.  Note that this is how revenue from individual appearances (TV, movies, events, etc.) are shared.  I believe entertainers get a base salary that’s separate from this.

Talent Agency: Entertainer’s share to Agency’s share

Avex: 9 to 1
Asai Kikaku: 7 to 3
Office Kitano (Beat Takeshi’s talent agency): 7 to 3
Ota Production: 6 to 4
Jinrikisha: 6 to 4
Sun Music: 6 to 4
HoriPro Com: 5 to 5
Watanabe Entertainment: 5 to 5
Ken-On: 3 to 7
Jobby Kids: 3 to 7
Shochiku Geinou: 2 to 8
Yoshimoto Creative Agency (Downtown’s talent agency): 1 to 9
Not found on that page but from Wikipedia is HoriPro (HoriPro is the parent company of HoriPro Com): 0 to 10 (i.e. salary only).

HoriPro is actually a major agency (ranked 4th in that list from above) with some big names.  I assume that their big names are able to negotiate high salaries for themselves, but yup, the crazy thing is that their entertainers get no revenue from individual appearances, i.e. for each piece of work that they do.  Yoshimoto isn’t much different at 1 to 9.  The reasoning I believe is that agencies like that will help their entertainers by finding them jobs (or “allot them jobs,” considering how powerful they are) and if they’re successful, negotiating with the networks to give them their own shows.  For example, Yoshimoto might negotiate with a TV network to try to get Cocorico their own show.   And then you have some agencies that are 9 to 1 or 7 to 3 (Kyaeen is from Asai Kikaku).  Perhaps these agencies don’t give as much support to their entertainers?  Being a smaller agency might also mean that they just don’t have the power to give that support (nor to attract entertainers if they took too much of the revenue), so they give good rates to their entertainers.  Avex is mainly in music, so the situation there might simply be different.  Rather than having to deal with an oligopoly of major TV networks (NHK, NTV, TBS, Fuji, Asahi), maybe music sales are more of a meritocracy?  As long as you have sales one way or another, your power as a musician rises, so a giant middleman agency guarding the gates to TV media is much less powerful there.

Agencies that take up a lot of the revenue may also be able to financially support their middle and lower ranks more.  In effect, Yoshimoto might take Downtown’s revenue and financially support its huge number of up-and-coming (or even failing) comedians who aren’t on TV at the moment.  In return, Downtown gets in-kind support – basically an army of underlings who can be personal assistants or proteges at any time for them.  In a way, in these kinds of talent agencies, perhaps they’ve turned the existence of an entertainer almost into a white collar worker in a large company.  Downtown is effectively like a C-level executive of the sales department.  Downtown is responsible for the movement of a lot of money into the company but he doesn’t personally take home all of it and instead the money is used by the company to support the rest of the staff below.  In return, Downtown has a huge number of subordinates for whatever they might need – from doing their dry cleaning to appearing at the last minute on one of their shows as a guest (which of course doubles as an opportunity for that subordinate to further his career).

Television Appearances (and TV Commercial Sponsors)

Here are links to lists of entertainers who had the most television appearances and TV commercial sponsors in recent years.

2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Interestingly, you don’t see Downtown in these.  I think because Downtown MCs a lot of shows, they appear in those shows once a week.  Perhaps because MCing takes more time in some cases (e.g. for Gaki No Tsukai, Matsumoto thinks up and decides on what segments and series to do), or simply because MCs are paid more, or because MC-level tarentos don’t want to dilute their brand, MC-level tarentos tend to not appear as guests on other shows as much and stick to their own shows.  On the other hand are some tarentos who don’t MC as much but appear in a lot of programs as guests.  Some entertainers who are perennially at the top of these lists (generally tarentos who both MC and appear as guests on other shows a lot) are Shitara Osamu of Bananaman, Ariyoshi Hiroiki, Okubo Kayoko of Oasiz, and Matsuko Deluxe, who’s also often near the top of the CM lists.  Rola for a few years was also near the top in appearances, and continues to be near the top of the CM lists.

Sasaki Kotoko: Peach

Source official blog: http://blog.nogizaka46.com/kotoko.sasaki/2017/09/040662.php
2017-09-16 16:12

Hello.
 
 
We will have a party today on Nogiten2 at 19:00!
Please watch!
 
 
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0001

*Announcement*
・ New Type is now on sale.
Anime Critic, Fujitsu Ryota-san taught us how to watch anime!
With Matsumura-san!
I learned a lot!
Pleace check it out!
 
 
Paka~!


Translated by: Veliem
Edited by: Conjyak

Gaki_170820_#1369_Single Father Tanaka’s New Marriage Partner Competition, Subbed

This is a recent Gaki No Tsukai episode, aired on August 20, 2017, that we’ve subbed.  What can the crew do to help Tanaka move on after his divorce?  This.

Here is a link to a previous post with a short subbed excerpt of an earlier episode, which was the first time they mentioned his divorce on the show after it happened and was made public.  Here is a link to an earlier post about details on the divorce when it first became public.

Thank you to Veliem for typesetting!

DL: MG
Key: !y4V5lPOjyySHf8i5eLTZJIaUWPXnGMW2TrUoAWFNADc

Streaming: BBVK, DM (link down), VM (link down)
Short 1-minute excerpt: YT

FBTW

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Matsumura Sayuri: 2017.08.27っ(o・・o)

Source official blog: http://blog.nogizaka46.com/sayuri.matsumura/2017/08/040445.php
2017-08-25 09:30

It’s Matsumura Sayuri!
 
 
Today is 2017, August 27
I am now 25 years old!!!
 
 
  
 
I
Can’t believe that
I’m 25 years old
but it actually happened just like that.
 
 
Recently, I have been performing in stage plays on my own
and was the center of a coupling song.
There are many things that I have to be thankful for and
I am living each day to the fullest.
 
 
image1
 
 
That’s a picture from the stage play!
My character name is Kuriko-chan and I’m in charge
of the bass in a girl band!
There were no other (Nogizaka46) members in the play so I was nervous,
But the stage was filled with the atmosphere of my hometown, Osaka,
so it was lots of fun!
In addition to playing the bass, I had a solo singing part, too.
I was able to experience a lot of things that probably can only be experienced in this stage play~~
and spent everyday digesting it all.
Kuriko-chan is a girl with a Kansai dialect,
but since I’ve been practicing standard Japanese since I joined Nogizaka,
I had a suprisingly hard time with the lines in the Kansai dialect.
And the bass.
I feel like the position of bass in a girl band
fits well with my personality.
I have come to love the sound of the bass.
 
 
  
In 『Clione no Akari』,
an anime currently on the air,
I’m the voice actress for the heroine, Minori-chan.
I am really happy to be involved with an anime that I love,
but I’m worried that I may not have fully brought the character of Minori-chan to life
because of my lack of skill.
I did many, many takes with the staff-san.
Like the original illustrated book,
the anime is a very heartful and wonderful story.
The anime also has an original arc.
I am thankful for this wonderful opportunity and
would like to watch over Minori-chan
with everyone until the end.
Thank you!
 
 
  
image2

A picture from the tour!
We are going to many towns this year, too!
The summer tour has become an annual event,
but no matter how many times we do it,
it still feels fresh and I still get surprised by everyone’s passion!
I am happy that many people came
this year as well!
I will take in the sounds and lights so as not to take the encounters I have had for granted and will give it my all until the end!
 
 
image3
 
 
  
Tomorrow is a day to be grateful as well, since
it’s the nationwide handshake event in Nagoya!
Since I joined Nogizaka46,
I was able to meet and talk to many people,
but I’ve recently really felt how
all of this isn’t so ordinary~~
It’s an amazing~~ thing that I’ve met the current members and of course the members who have graduated,
and I keep that thought with me as I spend another normal day with nothing special today with the other members.
Days like this are bliss.
I’m really glad to have met the other members, staff-san, and all of my fans.
I may not be very idol-like, but
I’m thankful to everyone who supports me
and I wish happiness for everyone out there, and
I hope to spend every day with those feelings.
 
 
There are lots of thing I want to do in my life. (LOL)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
pic4
 
 
Ah. Manatsu-san.
Why is it that tears come out when
I listen to 『Hito Natsu no Nagasa Yori…』 lately?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Odaiba Minna no YUME-TAIRIKU (Everyone’s Odaiba Dream World)
was fun, too~~
Going to YUME-TAIRIKU might have been
the one summer-y thing I did.

image5
 
 
 
 
 
I’m bad at writing birthday blogs,
so the content is a mess,
so I ask for your understanding…
 
 
I’ll end it with a picture
of my beloved Kana-chan.
image6
 
 
  
And so, I hope everyone has a
great birthday of mine.


Translated by: Veliem
Edited by: Conjyak

Nishino Nanase: A Dream of a Seal

Source official blog: http://blog.nogizaka46.com/nanase.nishino/2017/08/040408.php
2017-08-25 09:30

When I get an injury, I immediately take a photo
I take another photo the next day as well
I want to see how it heals and changes, and it feels kind of precious because you can only see it as it happens!
But now it’s a bruise and won’t completely go away I’m sad (;o;)

Aspiration Part 3.
I felt like eating sweet and sour pork!
However, I’m still scared of frying by myself, so it’s a non-fried mock sweet and sour pork.
Why didn’t I buy green vegetables~
piment~ [green peppers]
image1
(Luncheon mat bought at a Thai exhibit)

The meat was tender, the thickness of the gravy was nice, and it was really delicious…!!!
It made me eat a lot of rice to go with it ✨
Once again, I made a meat dish. (LOL)

I actually don’t like vinegar, so this time was my first time buying it.
It’s good for your health, so I hope to use it more from now on.

A procedure that I like to do is to prick and stab the meat with a fork before it’s cooked. That indescribable feeling…
I’m glad it came out well!
I’ll try to fry it properly some time in the future.
 
 
We are in the middle of the tour.
We finished the Nagoya performance two days ago!
The remaining ones are the three performances in Nīgata. It will take place in October, so there is some time until then.
I look forward to it. [in the Nagoya dialect.]
image2
The LINE LIVEs for Asahinagu, that’s the height of noisy, excited prattling.
Only after live concerts!
 
 
SWITCH Vol.35
This is the previous issue, where I did a photoshoot with me holding a naginata. I also did a talk with them on heroines, which is this issue’s theme.
I would never have guessed that I would be in SWITCH magazine. … I am delighted.

And currently on sale
the October issue of non-no, which I’m on the cover of. The theme is pink!
They took cute pictures of me with pink make up and pink clothes. This autumn’s trends, in addition to an adult-like mood, I think may be various shades of pink.
Everyone, please check it out ✨

Also, samuraiELO-san shot me for a solo cover,
and for street JACK, with Maiyan, the two of us!

All of us from the cast of Asahinagu are also appearing in a lot of other fashion magazines, TV magazines, movie books, etc!! I’m grateful.
Check them out~ (^o^)
 
 
image3
That’s Maiyan’s finger!

Sasaki Kotoko: ツ

Source official blog: http://blog.nogizaka46.com/kotoko.sasaki/2017/08/040349.php
2017-08-19 17:06

Good Afternoon
 
 
This is sudden, but I’m going to write about songs that I’ve been listening to a lot recently.
This is really sudden, but…

Aikurushii
Girlish Age (Ougra Yui-san)
Senpai。 (HoneyWorks meets TrySail-san)
Himitsu no Toilette (Ichinose Shiki, CV: Aihara Kotmi)
Manatsu Happening (Yui Kaori-san)
irodori (Amamiya Sora-san)
Tulip

I put these 7 songs into a playlist and am always listening to them on repeat.
I also want to put Mr. Children-san’s songs into this playlist,
but it is on another device, so I can’t.
I want to put Mr. Children-san’s song onto the same device (as the songs in the playlist),
but there are a lot of songs, and I have choreography videos saved, so don’t have much space left, so I’m just gonna deal with it.
I’ll enjoy them separately.
 
 
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I’m curious about the rubber band on the desk in the room.
 
 
*Announcement*
BRODY will be released on August 23rd.
I did a photoshoot and an interview.
2nd Gen!
 
 
Пока! (“Paka!” in Russian.)


Translated by: Veliem
Edited by: Conjyak

Sasaki Kotoko: Nyan

Source official blog: http://blog.nogizaka46.com/kotoko.sasaki/2017/08/040171.php
2017-08-04 19:54

Good Afternoon.

It has become August.
Because I don’t like the strong sunlight and the heat, I wish that it will become cooler soon.
Although on my days off, I hardly leave my home so it doesn’t really matter that much.
And I won’t be the same age as Shiki-chan (a character from The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls) in this month so I don’t know what to feel about that.
 
 
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*Announcement*
・MARQUEE (music magazine), August 10th edition
Produced by Kawago-san!
It was really colorful, pop, cute and fun!
By all means check it out.

And, tonight at 24:00 HaZAP will air!
Please watch it~

Paka~!


Translated by: Veliem
Edited by: Conjyak

Nogizaka46 No Gaku Tabi! Episode 1, 170226 (Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture)

Nogizaka46 No Gaku Tabi! is a series that takes four Nogizaka46 members and enrolls them as transfer students in a school for one day.  For that one day, the four Nogizaka46 members will attend classes, have lunch, and attend after school club activities with the regular students at the school.  For the inaugural episode, Eto, Akimoto, Kitano, and Saito Asuka will attend a high school in Nakatsu City in Oita Prefecture (Eto is from Oita Prefrecture).  Eto and Kitano are paired up and will be joining the 2nd year students while Akimoto and Asuka will be joining the 1st year students.  Watch as these four attend high school like normal students!

-Veliem


Download: MG
Decryption Key: !uHsx-a8sS-uYh6t2xrOUUpTOL5QLCnq8B86oV6FAsG4

Streaming: DM, VK, VM (link down)

FB, TW

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Nishino Nanase: Re-inflating

Source official blog: http://blog.nogizaka46.com/nanase.nishino/2017/07/039963.php
2017-07-24 10:12

Good morning.

I’m more shocked when I’m bitten by a mosquito inside my house than when I’m bitten outside.

They are already making “ming ming” sounds.
The cicadas in Osaka sound like “shay shay.” I miss that.
5 times a summer, I get pranked by a sudden cicada corpse. I just get pranked without doing anything…
And it’s that season…

But when I was shooting Bemars and cicadas flew onto my back, I just went “Oh,” and didn’t really care.
Now, no way I could do that (*_*)!!
 
 
It’s already the 24th again.
This time, it’s not my own elaborate cooking. It’s a meal from a harako meshi (salmon, salmon roe, and rice) party by スイカ (“Watermelon,” a group of friends within Nogizaka46 consisting of Nishino Nanase, Saito Yuuri, Kawago Hina, Ito Karin, and Ito Junna). This ambition of mine, the second time and it’s already a spin-off. (lol)
unnamed (2)
Wow~~ Delicious!
I didn’t eat at all in preparation for this meal, so I wolfed it all down.
I wonder what it’ll be next time~

When I have time, I cook something, but it’s nothing worth posting.
I like garlic spouts!
When I make something with it, it’s usually pretty tasty ✨
 
 
And
it’s been a while since the Jingu Live,
but thank you very much to everyone who came!

With this live, I really realized that I am a sempai.
A sense of watching over others? Has grown in me.
It’s thanks to my kōhai.
It makes me think: I gotta do this properly! I have to be an onēsan!

Also
During those 2 days, I strongly felt how much I really like the 1st generation girls.
When I look at their faces, I remember the past and it gets to me.
It really makes me think: I’m glad I joined Nogizaka. I’m glad I met these people!

From now, the tour starts
Let’s have fun and do our best!
 
 
Nigemizu
unnamed
↑ My favorite scene of Kazu’s.
When I think, “Just what kind of situation is this?” it makes me laugh, so I held my laughs in while letting the cherry blossoms bloom.
I’m happy that Director Yamagishi filmed us!
I want to know more about this mysterious Itami House…
I want him to write a novel about it. lol

The choreography, which is Japanese festival-like, is cute ✨
Momo-chan was often so nervous before performances that she went bonkers. lol
But she executes when the cameras roll.
Yoda-chan would speak quietly. Just watching it was soothing!

Please listen to the song many times m(_ _)m

A wild lizard during the filming.
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Cute.
It wouldn’t run away at all. Sad to part ways with it.
 
 
It’s tough with the heat everyday, but
gotta get through it this year, too!

I’ve recently been reading Yu Yu Hakusho. I remember watching the anime in the past as it aired on TV…
Kurama is really cool~~


Translated by: Veliem
Edited by: Conjyak

Sasaki Kotoko: Ice Cream

Source official blog: http://blog.nogizaka46.com/kotoko.sasaki/2017/07/040035.php
2017-07-28 17:42

Good evening.
 
 
Lately, I have been eating ice cream everyday!
Depending on my mood, I eat ice cream with fruits and chocolate coating or cookies & cream.
I like cookies & cream the best.
 
 
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Paka~!


Translated by: Veliem
Edited by: Conjyak