The Japanese international TV channel NHK World is to introduce hourly news bulletins in English, starting February 2.
“NHK aims to establish an international reputation for NHK World as a reliable source of news and other information from Asia,” NHK executive VP Yoshinori Imai told the broadcaster’s monthly press conference.
During the first week of the new schedule a series of interviews, including swimmer Kosuke Kitajima and violinist Midori Goto, will be broadcast as part of a partnership with five Tokyo-based commercial broadcasters.
The recent carriage agreement with Sky Digital in the UK brought the number of homes in which NHK World is available to over 80 million. The channel is targeting 110 million homes by the end of the financial year.
As well as linear broadcasts, an online service has also been made available and before the end of the year a version in the Japanese HD Hi-vision format will be launched.
