NHK restarts home visits to grow subscribers amid falling numbers

Using home visits to canvas for subscription fees is a technique that is unique to NHK. | Getty Images

Oct 15, 2026

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK is going back to the sales tactic of home visits across major cities to grow subscriptions as it struggles to retain and increase its subscriber base.

Starting in October, NHK has been ramping up home visits, with affiliated staff knocking on doors where contracts haven’t been signed or there are unpaid subscription fees, explaining that residents are obligated under law to pay the fees if they have a TV or a tuner, which can be installed into a laptop or game console to receive TV signals.

“It will be a chance to meet viewers, hear their opinions and explain the subscription fee system, as well as the role of public broadcasting,” a spokesperson for NHK said in an email to The Japan Times, describing it as part of a “new sales approach.”

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