▶ The one line that the NABJ 5486-person survey finally admitted: 'Television is not the only means' [8/8]

The Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association (JBA) Research Institute published the 4th survey on 'Research on the Advertising Effectiveness of Television' on August 4, 2026.

It was an internet survey conducted on 5,486 men and women aged 15 to 69 living in 7 regions nationwide (conducted from February 20 to 26, 2026).

The survey was conducted by Video Research, with cooperation from Dentsu.

At the heart of this conclusion is the term 'making it a matter for society'.

The summary is that television is strong at the initial awareness stage, expanding the market itself by making products 'a topic of conversation in society,' and also showed effects in increasing fans for long-term use products and brand items.

This 'making it a matter for society' is different in nature from the yardsticks television has used until now.

Both reach (how many people it reached) and awareness rate (how many people remembered it) are totals calculated by counting each individual.

In contrast, 'making it a matter for society' refers to a state where the feeling that 'everyone seems to know about it' has spread.

It is like the atmosphere of a group, which is difficult to count even if you ask each individual.

The method of investigation has also changed.

The 2nd survey (2022) analyzed by matching actual television viewing records with internet video viewing records.

The 3rd survey (2024) also combined nationwide television CM broadcast data with internet advertising delivery data.

In other words, they were using 'actual viewing records.' However, the 4th survey was based only on questionnaires, and no measured data was used.

Overseas, things are moving in the opposite direction. In September 2025, Nielsen in the U.S. made a method that combines conventional survey household data with actual measured data from approximately 45 million television devices the sole standard for nationwide television advertising transactions.

In January 2026, they removed conventional viewership ratings from transactions.

BARB (Broadcasters' Audience Research Board) in the UK also includes viewing time of internet distribution services in its measurement targets.

However, in January 2026, BARB stopped measuring YouTube viewed on television screens due to a warning from Google.

The reality is that the work of expanding the measurement range is hitting walls here and there.

Who conducts the survey also differs.

In the UK, advertising effectiveness research commissioned by commercial broadcasting organizations was verified by five independent research and analysis firms using actual data from 141 brands worth 1.8 billion pounds.

BARB, mentioned earlier, is also jointly operated by broadcasters, advertisers, and advertising agencies sharing the costs.

On the other hand, Japan's Video Research stands as a joint-stock company where Dentsu holds 34.2% of the voting rights.

The most significant line in this document is placed in small print at the very end of the conclusion.

'Especially for initiatives aimed at making things 'relevant to society' for the younger generation, television may not be the only means.'

In other words, research intended to demonstrate the value of television advertising ends by adding a caveat: 'However, there are other ways to reach young people.'

Why was it necessary to write that?
There is a clue in the survey results.

The younger people are, the more they tend to choose 'products that everyone knows.'

Yet, at the same time, they also welcome advertisements that appear specifically for them.

Normally, these two things are incompatible.
This is because they are seeking 'everyone' while also seeking 'only me.'

The document explains this by suggesting that for young people, 'everyone' might refer to the scope of what they see themselves.

It is the perspective that what flows into their SNS recommendation feeds is, in effect, 'what everyone is talking about now.'

If that is the case, the job of making products a topic of conversation is still needed.

However, SNS is sufficient as a place to undertake that work.
That is likely why the sentence 'Television is not the only means' appears.

This is where it gets tricky for advertisers.

What television has been selling is not 'how many people it reached,' but the state of 'many people watching the same thing at the same time.'

When that premise collapses among the younger demographic, television's strength becomes narrowed down to 'the power to create buzz among those in their 40s and older.'

That is a valuable product in its own right.
However, the explanation for pricing, which has been built on the premise of reaching all demographics nationwide simultaneously, will likely no longer be accepted as is.

Perhaps the time is coming to clearly define the reached demographic and then re-explain the basis for the pricing.