Quote:
TV stations once competed with each other to air quality animation in the prime-time hours of 7-10 p.m., particularly in the slot from 7 p.m., earning the support of young viewers. They were able to garner ratings of more than 20 percent with some programs. However, due to the decrease in the number of children because of the low birthrate, and in light of the diversification of means of entertainment now available to children, such as video games and mobile phones, the potential audience for anime programs in prime time has dwindled significantly.
...
TV viewing habits not only in prime time but for terrestrial broadcasts in general are believed to have been changing in recent years, partly due to the widespread availability of satellite or cable television services, as well as due to a trend of working people getting home at later hours. It is clear that animation is no longer the central player in prime time.
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Things have changed considerably, and I wonder what Japanese children are
actually watching in these days. Apart from the usual educational programs... Soap operas, perhaps?
@dahoosafeth: there's obviously a parallel in the situation going on here in my country. In the minds of local TV stations here, anime is not a salable asset.
Based on my observations over the few years, anime programming on free-to-air television in the Philippines has decreased as well (to the extent of only one or two titles on the 5:30pm slot, and the schizophrenic decisions of TV station CEOs and program acquisition managers).
Add that problem with the following factors:
* cable television,
* pirated DVDs,
* the Internet,
* cellular phones,
* computer games (including MMOGs),
* dedicated channels for anime such as Hero TV and Animax SEA, but facing heavier competition from American cartoons offered by CN, Nickelodeon, and Disney (all three "Americans" popular with parents wanting their children to learn the English language, and also popular with the advertisers),
* and the continuous overwhelming mainstream popularity of soap operas from Latin America and East Asia (i.e. although both came from Hana Yori Dango, Meteor Garden was far more popular than its anime equivalent) and fantasy shows (called "fanta-serye")
So it boils down there that one of my 9-year-old nieces asks me if there's a Goong (a Korean teen soap opera) replay on TV tonight. Or that my nephew is asking me permission to go down to the nearest computer shop and play online games. If they want to watch TV, it's soap operas and noontime variety shows.