Are You Getting Fired Up!? An Interview with the Planners of the SKY PerfecTV! Enthusiasm Festival

The "SKY PerfecTV! Enthusiasm Festival" is being held from October 1st to November 30th.
The "SKY PerfecTV! Enthusiasm Festival" is a campaign where SKY PerfecTV! has gathered plenty of "enthusiastic" content that allows fans to further expand their fun experiences, not only through broadcasts but also through streaming, virtual spaces, and real-life events.

This time, we asked I-san and O-san, the people in charge of the Enthusiasm Festival, about how the initiatives were born and for their recommended content.

The origin of the Enthusiasm Festival

―First, please tell us how the Enthusiasm Festival came to be.

I-san: "As for the trigger, our company has recently had services we want to grow outside of broadcasting services, such as point programs and streaming services.
We want customers to realize that we are developing various services and providing an environment where they can enjoy various forms of entertainment within SKY PerfecTV!, and the core idea was to create an opportunity for them to actively use these services, so we wanted to offer the experience of enjoying multiple services across the board.
However, customers can enjoy various services even outside of SKY PerfecTV!. There are streaming services from other companies, and merchandise sales are also done by other companies... By showing that 'we are developing various ways of enjoying things that customers usually use! It's exciting!', we want to attract interest and have them enjoy entertainment. We wanted to effectively stage the excitement, so we set it up as the Enthusiasm Festival this time."

―I see. By the way, when was the Enthusiasm Festival planned?

O-san: "Actually, the Platform Programming Department that we belong to was established in January of this year, but discussions about this project began around January, and we started moving on it in February or March."

I-san: "That's right. Since our department is the one that creates initiatives, we were discussing that 'we want to provide customers with the opportunity to enjoy various things because we are developing various services.' Our company is currently operated by individual departments such as the Broadcasting Division, Streaming Division, and Content Division, so after the policy for the project was decided, we shared and consulted with the general manager and team leader classes of each department, and after obtaining the consent of each department, we estimated the presentation and how to provide it to customers.
So, we had internal discussions over a quite long period of time (laughs)."

―Since it's an initiative that crosses services, it seems like prior coordination would take time. When did you start considering it in January and when did you get the consent of each department?

I-san: "We got the consent around the summer. Whether we could gather a lineup (of content we could provide) was a major key, and if it started and the content was sparse, it wouldn't look attractive to customers... so we reached out to everyone at each broadcasting channel operator from July, and it was around the beginning of August when that lineup became visible."

―Then, did you start preparing for the promotion after the lineup was decided?

I-san: "That's right. It was late, but there was a part where we couldn't decide on the approach without a lineup, so while consulting with advertising agencies in advance, we started talking concretely around July."

O-san: "Yes, yes, because we were organizing a project called a live concert special in September, July and August were full of live concert specials, but we were moving forward little by little on the side.
It's hard to settle down unless you submit the advertising materials, and nothing is born just by planning, and only when the creative advertising materials are submitted do our hands finally become free, so I think we were able to concentrate and work properly only after entering September (laughs).
The name 'Enthusiasm Festival' was decided at the end of August, too."

―I see! Indeed, the name of the initiative is a big point.

O-san: "Yes, we got title proposals from the advertising agency about what to do with the name, and we all discussed and decided in August. We discussed things like, 'This is the direction, right?'"

―I see! By the way, how did you decide on the name 'Enthusiasm Festival'?

I-san: "It's difficult to mention other candidate names, but the way we narrowed it down was by how easy it was for customers to understand. This time, the main point was that we wanted them to enjoy various things and that it was exciting, so we were conscious of that and received about 30 proposals. From there, we kept eliminating them, saying things like 'this phrasing is heard often, so it won't make people think of SKY PerfecTV!' or 'this expression will cause misunderstandings,' and when we narrowed it down to about 4 proposals, we decided based on which proposal best expressed the worldview we wanted to show. Also, when we assumed that we would make a logo and that it would appear in various situations as a naming, we discussed it with all 7 members and decided from the perspective of which would be the most optimal."

―I liked the name Enthusiasm Festival and it felt right, but there was such a background to it.

I-san: "I'm glad! Deciding on the name of an initiative is really difficult (laughs)."

Enjoyable for everyone! Recommended ways to enjoy it from the person in charge

―Please tell us about the specific initiatives for this project.

I-san: "Since the axis of the initiative is 'to have people enjoy entertainment,' we provide not only broadcast content but also (SKY PerfecTV!) program streaming and content streamed on SPOOX, as well as merchandise sales, and virtual spaces. The specific lineup has a lot of music and idol-related content. In November, we will be broadcasting and streaming Hello! Project graduation concerts, and there will also be graduation special programs."

―The content is quite extensive, isn't it!

I: "Yes! Besides that, I think it's important for people to know about it first, so as a trigger to get them interested, we are also running gift campaigns that make your entertainment life with SKY PerfecTV! more enjoyable.
For example, for those who enjoy watching on TV, we provide an environment where they can enjoy delicious food while watching, and for customers who enjoy streaming or virtual events, we include items that go well with them, like smartphone stands or earphones, as an added element to enhance their experience."

―I'm curious about the virtual events; what kind of events are these?

I: "We created a virtual space for SKY PerfecTV! and set up something like an event venue. Performers from programs broadcast on SKY PerfecTV! participate online, and it's a place where you can hear behind-the-scenes stories or get various responses on the spot if you leave comments. It's mainly focused on talk events."

―I see, that sounds interesting! What do I need to do to see this virtual space?

I: "The virtual space itself is built externally, completely unrelated to a SKY PerfecTV! subscription. This time, all events are free, but you purchase a free ticket for each event and enter the virtual space by entering the code from the ticket you purchased.
Since you can come and play freely regardless of your SKY PerfecTV! broadcast subscription, I hope this will lead to new forms of expansion, with people wanting to watch the broadcasts and streams there as well."

―Are there any contents in the Enthusiasm Fes that the two of you are particularly looking forward to?

I: "Personally, I'm very excited to see how this new challenge will be utilized in the future, so it's the virtual space. We are opening it under the name 'SKY PerfecTV! Virtual Arena,' and the content there is what I'm paying the most attention to.
In this space, we will have performers from 'TOKYO BB,' a program where bike-loving comedians go touring, talk about the behind-the-scenes of the program's filming, and there will also be behind-the-scenes stories from a program where Super Junior member Leeteuk travels. Actually, we have done PR events or special programs about behind-the-scenes stories of performers before, but we haven't done that many, and we certainly haven't been able to offer things that we do together with customers. As someone on the production side at SKY PerfecTV!, being able to provide this as proper entertainment is something that can easily create needs, and I hope to grow it into a place where customers can enjoy something new."

O: "I like baseball, so maybe the baseball-related content. In the virtual space I mentioned earlier, there is a draft meeting on Thursday, October 26th, and you can watch the talk event in the virtual space. Also, speaking of baseball, I'm looking forward to the real-life event for the program 'Mitsuru Manaka Goes!', featuring former Yakult manager Mr. Manaka. It's happening in Shibuya on Wednesday, November 8th, and I'm looking forward to that too!
Also, a special retirement program for former Hawks player Nobuhiro Matsuda, who recently retired from the Giants, will be on Sports Live+! It wasn't originally in the Enthusiasm Fes, but it's a lineup I quietly added while I was on summer vacation (laughs). Those are the three baseball-related things I'm looking forward to."

I: "Thank you. That was a big help (laughs)."

―Thank you! I'm definitely looking forward to the virtual events. There's a lot of baseball-related stuff too (laughs).

Pinch-hitter appearance? Behind-the-scenes of the release press conference

―You held a streaming LIVE event on October 17th; is there anything that left an impression regarding the press conference?

I: "O's appearance, perhaps? (laughs) I feel like I won't be able to stop if I start talking about the difficult parts."

O: "That's right (laughs). The appearance itself wasn't difficult, but it was decided just a few days before."
*O appears around 33:00 in the video.

―Is that so! How did it come about that you appeared?

O: "In the first place, the discussions around the event were down to the wire, and the script only came up last weekend... and quietly, Skappy and my name were on the list of performers. I was like, 'Excuse me, what am I doing?' (laughs). It was sudden and I was surprised.
Actually, there was a plan for a character from a certain popular baseball team to appear... and I was hoping to have a back-and-forth between Yasuko and that character, but the schedules didn't match (laughs). So, if that character couldn't come, we decided to use our company's mascot character, Skappy. But since Skappy can't talk, I ended up appearing to assist (laughs)."

―As expected of a popular character, they must be busy.

O: "That's right, it seems they are quite busy (laughs)."

—Finally, please give a message to our readers.

Mr. I: "We are expanding our services so that you can enjoy not just what is currently airing on SKY PerfecTV!, but a wide variety of entertainment, so please find content you like and give it a try!"

Mr. O: "I have been in charge of various promotions and TV commercials until now, but this is my first time working on a commercial that is entirely focused on impact like this one... I mean, Yasuko-san becoming Atsuko-san is pretty nonsensical, right? (laughs) So, I'm a little nervous about how people will react to it (laughs)."
But please, do take a look at the gap between Yasuko-san's usual self and her character in the commercial, and if you have the time, I'd love to hear your thoughts!"

—Thank you very much!

(Interview and text by Yama)