Japan Goes Wild for MLB Opening Series in Tokyo
Over 4,500 Ohtani Commercials Aired in the Second Half of Last Year
Japan is going wild over the MLB Opening Series in Tokyo between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, featuring five Japanese players including superstar Shohei Ohtani, who represents Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States. Attention is especially focused on Ohtani of the Dodgers, who was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) last year after becoming the first player in U.S. professional baseball history to achieve '50 home runs and 50 stolen bases' in a single season.
The Japanese archipelago is excited about the MLB Opening Series in Tokyo between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, featuring five Japanese players including superstar Shohei Ohtani, who represents Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States. AFP·Yonhap News
On the 19th, Japanese media including the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the TV rating for the MLB opening game held the previous day at Tokyo Dome was 31.2% in the Kanto region. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, when Ohtani stepped up to bat for the first time, the crowd erupted in cheers and took out their smartphones, and when he grounded out, they sighed in disappointment. When Ohtani recorded his first hit in the top of the 5th inning, Tokyo Dome turned into a frenzy of excitement. The Dodgers won 4-1 the previous day and will play the second game against the Cubs at Tokyo Dome that afternoon.
The Yomiuri reported, "In 2000, there were no Japanese players on either team," and this time, in addition to Ohtani, there are five Japanese players including Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Sasaki of the Dodgers, and Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs. Regarding this, Ohtani said, "I am happy that a team with many (Japanese) major leaguers can play in the opening game." Kyodo News noted that last year, no program in the Kanto region other than NHK's year-end music event 'Kohaku Uta Gassen' exceeded a 30% viewership rating, calling it "rare." It added that the viewership rating in Iwate Prefecture, located in the northeastern part of Honshu and the hometown of Ohtani and Dodgers' Sasaki Roki, reached 39.8%. This is the sixth time an MLB regular season opening game has been held in Japan, starting with the Cubs vs. New York Mets game in 2000.
More than 10 Japanese Companies Have Sponsorship Deals with Ohtani
Meanwhile, the Sankei Shimbun reported that more than 10 Japanese companies, including Japan Airlines (JAL) and Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, have sponsorship contracts with Ohtani. The Japan CM Research Institute analyzed that in the second half of last year, Ohtani-related commercials aired 4,543 times in Japan, which is about three times the 1,568 commercial broadcasts in the first half of the same year when Japan won the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March 2023.
According to Sportico, a global sports business media outlet, Ohtani earned $72.5 million (approximately 105 billion KRW) last year, making him the highest-earning baseball player annually. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News Agency
Shintaro Sekine, CEO of the CM Research Institute, said, "He has a unique value as a two-way player, and his performance is impeccable," adding, "He is an invaluable talent for companies aiming to do business worldwide." He also said, "The fact that he is an athlete supported by people of all ages and genders is Ohtani's greatest feature," and predicted that if his wife gives birth to a baby, Ohtani may be featured in even more commercials. Among these, according to U.S. sports business media Sportico, Ohtani earned $72.5 million (about 105 billion won) last year, making him the highest-earning baseball player in terms of annual income.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
