Corporate Overview

History

1926 August Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya Broadcasting Stations merge to form Nippon Hoso Kyokai (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
1931 April Second radio network goes on air
1935 June International radio broadcasts begin
1950 June Introduction of the Broadcast Law
NHK re-established as a public broadcaster under the terms of the Broadcast Law
1953 February First TV broadcast from NHK’s television studios in Tokyo
1959 January First Educational TV broadcast
1960 September First television broadcasts in color
1963 November First experimental transmission via communications satellite between Japan and USA breaks the news of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
1964 October The Tokyo Olympic Games becomes the first Olympics in history to be broadcast via satellite and in color
1969 March First FM radio broadcast
1971 October All General TV programs broadcast in color
1982 December Sound multiplex broadcasts begin on TV
1985 November First teletext service begins
1989 June Full-scale satellite broadcasting services begin
1994 November Hi-Vision (HDTV) test broadcasts begin
1995 April Launch of international television channel
2000 December Digital BS broadcasting begins
2006 April One-Seg service for mobile receivers begins
2008 December Launch of "NHK on Demand", a pay-per-view VOD service
2009 February NHK WORLD TV begins 24-hour English-language service
2011 April Three BS channels consolidated into two (BS1 and BS Premium)
2011 July Analogue broadcasts end (With exception of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, which were the areas most severely affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake)
2012 March Analogue broadcasts end in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures
2013 September Launch of "NHK Hybridcast" service, collaborative operations between broadcasting and communications
2018 December 4K/8K Super Hi-Vision broadcasts begin
2020 April Full launch of "NHK Plus" online service
2023 December BS reorganized into 3 channels: BS, BSP4K, and BS8K