Ratings scandal

[Aaron Gerow]

The Japanese TV industry was rocked last Friday with the revelation 
that a Nippon TV producer bribed viewers in order to raise the rating 
for his show. The producer, who mostly handled special one-time 
programs, hired a detective agency to follow repair trucks, etc., to 
find out who were the "monitors" for the Video Research company (the 
company that figures the ratings in Japan), and then had a colleague 
approach the families that were discovered and offer them small amounts 
of money or gift certificates if they would watch his program. While 
only a few families agreed, there were enough of them to possibly 
change program ratings by nearly one percent in the Kanto area. The 
scandal has produced a lot of lamenting about how much ratings rule the 
industry.

The reports here say this is the first such scandal in Japanese TV 
history, but has anyone heard of something similar in other countries?

Aaron Gerow
KineJapan owner