(also known as CDTV) is a Japanese late-night music television program, broadcast on TBS since 1993. The program is shown weekly, and features a Japanese music video hit chart countdown, live performances from musicians and music information. It is presented by three animated hosts.

History

The show was created after the gap left by the cessation of the long-running TBS countdown show

The Best Ten , was a Japanese music chart television program broadcast on TBS Television (Japan), TBS Television from 1978 to 1989. The weekly shows were broadcast live on Thursdays. During its broadcast history, the air time and day changed only once. Each e ...

(1978–1989). A top 100 music countdown show called (presented by

Kuniko Tamada Kuniko (written: , , , or ) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * (1209–1283), Empress of Japan * (born 1962), Japanese actress and television presenter *, Japanese swimmer * (born 1952), Japanese politician ...

and Masayuki Watanabe) begun airing on TBS networks from October 1992, however received low ratings in its targeted youth market (due to its early airing time, 8pm, and the at average 10pm returning home time of the target audience). The show finished airing in March 1993. The show was rebranded, becoming ''Count Down TV'' and airing from April 1993 onwards. Some of the rebranding changes were later broadcast times, CGI hosts and imagery, along with only airing the top 40 chart rank-ins. The format has remained basically the same over the years. Some changes have been extending the broadcast from 30 minutes to 40 (and extending the charts from top 40 to top 50) and introducing album/

ringtone A ringtone is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming telephone call. Originally referring to the sound of electromechanical striking of bells or gongs, the term refers to any sound by any device alerting of an incoming call. On p ...

chart countdowns. Since April 2020, Count Down TV was split into 2 different programs: in Sundays 12:58am, and in Mondays 9pm; Mondays 10pm from March 30, 2020 - March 29, 2021. The same CGI hosts presented the Saturday edition while TBS announcer Ai Eto presented the Monday edition. The Saturday edition ended on March 21, 2021. The ranking segment which has been part of the Saturday (original) edition was then carried over to the Monday edition.

Main Segments

The show is split up into several chart segments, based around weekly or monthly sales. Weekly singles rankings are split into last week's top 10, #30-#21, #20-#11, #10-#4, and sequential sections for singles ranking #3, #2 and #1. The top 10 albums' chart is briefly broadcast (from April 2009, non-domestic albums also feature), along with the top 10/20 ringtones. Other than these charts, between 1-3 musical guests perform in weekly segments (generally songs popular on the charts at the time), along with an older clip from the 'CDTV library' and fortune telling for the week. The monthly segments include (generally shown in the first week), CDTV History/Album Library (previous #1 singles/albums from that month in history), the top 10 songs performed at

karaoke is a type of interactive entertainment system usually offered in nightclubs and bars, where people sing along to pre-recorded accompaniment using a microphone. Its musical content is an instrumental rendition of a well-known popular song. I ...

for that month, the top albums/DVDs. The ''CDTV Award'' for the top single/album/ringtone/DVD that month is also announced. Other segments include information segments for hyped music videos/film tie-up songs/

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theme songs (potentially with sample clips from these music videos), and user submission polls for such questions as 'Which artist do you want as a lover?', 'What song do you want for your Wedding?', etc.

CDTV Top 100

''Count Down TV'' ranks its music video countdown on the ''CDTV Top 100'' chart. The chart is tallied by a combination of

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

's singles chart and cable broadcast requests. Due to this, songs not officially released as singles (such as album tracks, B-sides, digital download singles, or the single before its official release) occasionally rank in, if the song has a music video that has been submitted to the station. As of December 2009, only these 13 tracks have achieved this: *

Dohzi-T is a Japanese rapper, singer and songwriter who has been active since 1989. Biography Dohzi-T belonged to hip hop band "Zingi", formed in 1990. He debuted as a solo singer with the single "Shōnen A" (lit. "Boy A") on October 10, 2001. He associ ...

feat. Beni - (4 weeks early rank-in at #90) *

Dreams Come True Dreams Come True or Dream Come True may refer to: Organizations * Dreams Come True (British charity) * Dreams Come True (American non-profit) Film and television * ''Dreams Come True'' (film), a 1936 British musical film * " "Dreams Come True" ...

- (album "Love Unlimited" album track) *

Exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

Kumi Koda , known professionally as , is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs. After debuting with the single " Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs from her seventh single, " Real Emoti ...

- " Won't Be Long" (1 week early rank-in at #94) *

Glay Glay (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band formed in Hakodate in 1988. The core four members, vocalist Teru (singer), Teru, guitarists Takuro (musician), Takuro and Hisashi (musician), Hisashi, and bassist Jiro (musician), ...

- (2 weeks early rank-in at #97) *

Greeeen Gre4n Boyz (stylized as GRe4N BOYZ), until March 2024 named Greeeen (stylized as GReeeeN), is a Japanese all-male vocal group from Kōriyama in Fukushima Prefecture, comprising the four members: HIDE, navi, 92 (read as "kuni"), and SOH. They de ...

- (2 weeks early rank-in at #76) *

Kiyoshi Hikawa is a Japanese enka singer who was born on September 6, 1977, in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.Hikawa Kiyoshi: Pr ...

- (1 week early rank-in at #99) *Kiyoshi Hikawa - (1 week early rank-in at #92) *

Hi-Standard Hi-Standard (stylized as Hi-STANDARD) is a Japanese punk rock band formed in 1991 by bassist and lead vocalist Akihiro Nanba, guitarist and vocalist Ken Yokoyama, and drummer Akira Tsuneoka. The release '' Making the Road'' sparked sold-out Japa ...

- "

Love Is a Battlefield "Love Is a Battlefield" is a song by American singer Pat Benatar, released on September 12, 1983, as a single from Benatar's live album '' Live from Earth'' (1983), though the song itself was a studio recording. It was written by Holly Knight an ...

" (considered an album by

, but a single by CDTV) *

Sharam Q was a Japanese rock band composed of lead singer , on guitar, on drums and on keyboards. Biography They debuted with in 1992. They were not an instant hit initially, but their fourth single broke the top 50 of the Oricon charts. Eventu ...

- (single "Īwake"'s B-side) *

George Tokoro , better known by the stage name , is a Japanese comedian, TV personality, singer-songwriter, and essayist. Born in Tokorozawa, Saitama, he attended Takushoku University's Commercial Science class. Works Film *'' Shimoochiai Yakitori Movie'' ( ...

- (considered an album by

, but a single by CDTV) *

Hikaru Utada , also known mononymously as Utada, is a Japanese and American singer, songwriter, and producer. She is considered to be one of the most influential and best-selling musical artists in Japan. She is best known by international audiences for w ...

- " First Love" (1 week early rank-in at #99) *Hikaru Utada - " Prisoner of Love" (1 week early rank-in at #84) * Yui - "Laugh Away" (digital single) As the charts are formulated from only Japanese domestic artists, it is rare for an overseas artist to rank on the charts (usually this is done when a collaboration single with a Japanese artist is released). The non-Japanese artists to rank on the CDTV charts (non-domestically) are: *

Naomi Campbell Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is a British supermodel. Beginning her career at the age of eight, Campbell was one of six models of her generation declared supermodels by the fashion industry and the international press. She was th ...

("La La La Love Song" w/ Toshinobu Kubota) *

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular musi ...

( w/

Yuna Ito is an American-born former pop singer and actress who was active in Japan. Ito made her musical debut in Japan with the single, " Endless Story", which was used as one of the theme songs for the popular 2005 film '' Nana''; she also starred in ...

) *

Melissa Manchester Melissa Manchester (born February 15, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been played by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage. Early li ...

("Stand in the Light" w/

Tatsuro Yamashita , occasionally referred to as Tatsu Yamashita or Tats Yamashita, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and record producer, who is known for pioneering the city pop style of music. His most well-known song is "Christmas Eve", a best-selling song rel ...

) *

Park Yong-ha Park Yong-ha (, August 12, 1977 – June 30, 2010) was a South Korean actor and singer. Career At seventeen, Park was noted for his acting and musical skills, as well as his good looks which earned him popularity with fans. After his debut in ...

(originally considered an overseas artist on his first single, "Kajimaseyo" (カジマセヨ)

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Maxi Priest Max Alfred Elliott (born 10 June 1961), known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an Contemporary R&B, R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion. ...

("Love Somebody" w/

Yūji Oda is a Japanese actor and singer. He is one of Japan's 11 most popular male entertainers, according to an NHK survey taken in 2004. In one survey, he was the second most popular actor after Takuya Kimura in Japan during the Heisei era (1989-2019) ...

) *

Richie Sambora Richard Stephen Sambora (born July 11, 1959) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013. He and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi formed the main songwriting unit for the ...

("Forever" w/

Takashi Sorimachi is a Japanese actor and singer. He is mostly famous for having portrayed Eikichi Onizuka in the 1998 live-action drama adaptation of the popular manga series ''Great Teacher Onizuka'', and the assassin O in Hong Kong action thriller film '' Ful ...

) *

Ryu Si-won Ryu Si-won (; born 6 October 1972) is a South Korean actor and singer. After he made his debut in the KBS drama ''Feeling'' in 1994, Ryu pursued a singing career. Early life Ryu was born in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. He is ...

Brian Setzer Brian Robert Setzer (born April 10, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly group Stray Cats, and returned to the music scene in the early 1990s with ...

("Back Streets of Tokyo" w/

Tomoyasu Hotei , also known simply as Hotei ( ), is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, composer, record producer and actor. With a career spanning more than 40 years, Hotei claims record sales of over 40 million copies and has collaborated with artists fr ...

) * Roger Taylor ("Foreign Sand" w/ Yoshiki) *

Twelve Girls Band 12 Girls Band (, sometimes abbreviated to 女樂 or 女乐) are an all-female Chinese musical group that initially consisted of twelve members before the addition of a thirteenth. Twelve Girls Band use traditional Chinese instruments to play both ...

Loulan Loulan ( zh, t=, p=Lóulán <

Eastern Han Chinese

''lo-lɑn'' <

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) *

Caron Wheeler Caron Melina Wheeler (born 19 January 1963) is a British singer, songwriter, record producer and musician. Born and raised in London, she performed in various singing competitions as a teenager and began her recording career as one of the found ...

("Just the Two of Us" w/ Toshinobu Kubota) *

Faye Wong Faye Wong ( zh, 王菲; pinyin: ''Wáng Fēi''; born 8 August 1969) is a Chinese singer-songwriter and actress. Early in her career, she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong (). Born in Beijing, she moved to British Hong Kong at the age o ...

(" Eyes on Me", " Separate Ways") ''Count Down TV'' also ranks albums and

downloads, but uses the raw data from

and

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, respectively.

Annual Song Rank No.1

* These songs also won the Grand Prix of

Japan Record Award is a major music awards show, held annually in Japan that recognizes outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association. Established in 1959, the Japan Record Awards are one of the oldest and most prestigious music awards in the count ...

. ** AKB48 keeps the record for the most No.1 of the year (7 times). *** The bold font indicates these songs are also the No.1 in Hot 100 of the year of Billboard Japan.

Specials

In addition to the main episodes, ''Count Down TV'' has aired various specials during its run including the year-end special

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Premier Live.

Presenters

The presenters of the show are computer-rendered animated characters. There are always three presenters: two (, voiced by

Hiromi Ishikawa is a Japanese actress and voice actress from Tokyo. She is represented by two talent agencies: 81 Produce and Caramel Box, and was formerly represented as a stage actor by Theatre Echo. Filmography Television animation *'' Bonobono'' - Nagar ...

and , voiced by

Masami Kikuchi is a Japanese voice actor and narrator. He was affiliated with Troubador Music Office until March 2010. He then worked as freelance until April 2011, when he was employed by Kenyu Office. Filmography Television animation *''Mobile Suit Gundam ...

) have been constant, while the third changed over time. The third is generally a famous program announcer on other TBS television shows. The six third animated announcers are: * (voiced by

Yumi Takada is a former Japanese voice actress employed by 81 Produce. Notable voice roles *Chitose Fujinomiya in Goldfish Warning! *Alice Knox in Power Dolls * Ayeka Masaki Jurai in Tenchi Muyo! *Ayeka Takada (OVA)/Romio (TV), Ghost Girl (TV; episode ...

) * (voiced by Yumi Takada) * (voiced by Mika Horii) * (voiced by

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) * (voiced by Chisato Kaiho) * (voiced by Maki Arai)

Theme Songs

Since the show's inception in June 1993, two popular music songs have been used as the show's opening and ending theme songs, changing monthly. For a complete list of these songs, see the list on the Japanese Wikipedia.

CDTV in popular culture

*The

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Gin Tama is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen manga, manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to September 2018, later in ''Jump Giga'' from De ...

" episode's 2009 "Start the Countdown" featured a ''CD Gin Tama'' segment, in which all of the greatest quotes from the show were listed. A ''guest live'' was even included, in the form of Hitomi Takahashi (whose song " Wo Ai Ni" was the ending theme song at the time). A Gin Tama-styled animated Takahashi even gave a brief comment before her performance. The ''CD Gin Tama'' segment was repeated again in the episode "Screw Popularity Polls." *The

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

variety show "

Mecha-Mecha Iketeru! was a popular Japanese variety show, shown on Fuji TV. The first episode aired on 16 October 1996 and the last episode aired on 31 March 2018. The hosts of the show were the owarai duo Ninety-Nine ( Takashi Okamura and Hiroyuki Yabe). The sh ...

" features a segment called ''ICDTV'' (Iketeru Count Down TV), in which two songs are picked by members, and the one voted on most is chosen to be parodied. *The segment of the Fuji TV variety show featured a countdown of their most popular moments on the show called ''CDDD'' (Count Down Dame Dame).

References

External links

TBS 'CDTV' Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Count Down Tv Japanese music chart television shows 1993 Japanese television series debuts 1990s Japanese television series 2000s Japanese television series 2010s Japanese television series 2020s Japanese television series TBS Television (Japan) original programming