Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting

What Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting does

Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (UHB) is a privately held Japanese regional terrestrial television broadcaster incorporated on June 24, 1971, and headquartered at 1-5 Nishi 14, Kita 1, Chuo-ku, Sapporo. It is the sole FNS (Fuji Television Network) affiliated station serving Hokkaido, having joined the network on April 1, 1972, with Fuji Television Network holding 16.9% equity alongside The Hokkaido Shimbun Press Co., Ltd. (also 16.9%). UHB operates digital terrestrial TV broadcasting across the Hokkaido prefecture, producing local news, sports coverage of Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Levanga Hokkaido, weather forecasting, and regional variety programs (みんテレ, いっとこ！みんテレ, 発見！タカトシランド), supplemented by Fuji TV network programming during network time slots.

The company's core technology stack is built on terrestrial digital television broadcasting infrastructure, including a dedicated data broadcasting service (地デジ広報サービス) that delivers real-time municipal government information directly to TV viewers via remote control without requiring internet connectivity, serving all Hokkaido municipalities and reaching TV-only households including elderly populations. UHB has also executed over 10 international co-productions with foreign TV stations since 2013, ranging from government-sponsored tourism promotion to independently funded projects. The company maintains two wholly owned subsidiaries (Top Creation Co., Ltd. and Autec Co., Ltd.) and operates diversified revenue streams.

UHB's business model combines traditional TV advertising (its core revenue stream, contributing the majority of FY2022 revenue of 9,701 million JPY) with diversified monetization across CM production services (script consultation, filming, editing, and broadcast slot placement for local businesses), content licensing and international co-productions, food service via the Yagien Ballpark fast-food restaurant operated jointly with LDH JAPAN at Hokkaido Ballpark F Village (ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO, opened March 30, 2023), lifelong education through UHB University targeting seniors aged 50-90, and data broadcasting PR service fees from Hokkaido municipalities. The company sells advertising against local programming, operates food items priced at 600-1,450 JPY at Yagien Ballpark, and distributes content digitally through TVer, YouTube, SASARU media platform, and a broad social media presence. As of July 2023, UHB employed 157 people with stated capital of 500 million yen.

Name

Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting

Legal name

Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (北海道文化放送株式会社)

Website

https://uhb.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting (UHB) is a privately held regional Japanese TV broadcaster affiliated with Fuji Television Network, serving Hokkaido residents with local news, sports, weather, and entertainment programming. It generates revenue from TV advertising, CM production, municipal data broadcasting services, food service at Hokkaido Ballpark F Village, lifelong education, and international content co-productions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.) (MPABACAE)

Keywords

• Regional television broadcasting
• Commercial production services
• Data broadcasting services
• Lifelong education programs
• Broadcast advertising sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Sapporo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. TV Broadcasting Advertising: Core broadcasting revenue from television advertising, program sales, and commercial spots during broadcasts.
2. CM Production Services: Commercial production services offered to businesses including filming at customer locations or UHB studios, CG processing, editing, BGM, narration, and broadcasting slot coordination.
3. Yagien Ballpark Restaurant Operations: Food service revenue from Yagien Ballpark fast food restaurant featuring Hokkaido wagyu beef products at Hokkaido Ballpark F Village, operated by North Culture 8 LLP.
4. Content Licensing and Co-productions: International program licensing and co-production revenue from partnerships with foreign broadcasters, including governmental and independently funded projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting (UHB) operates a regional terrestrial television broadcasting service in Hokkaido, Japan, affiliated with the Fuji Television Network (FNS). The company produces and broadcasts local news, sports coverage, weather programming, and regional variety shows for Hokkaido viewers. In addition to its core broadcasting operations, UHB offers CM (commercial) production services to local businesses, a municipal data broadcasting PR service, a fast-food restaurant at Hokkaido Ballpark F Village (Yagien Ballpark), and a lifelong learning program (UHB University) for senior residents.

Product overview

Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting (UHB) operates as a regional TV broadcaster affiliated with Fuji Television Network (FNS), offering TV broadcasting services, program production (みんテレ, いっとこ！みんテレ, 発見！タカトシランド), commercial production, and digital PR services. The company has diversified into food service (Yagien Ballpark restaurant), lifelong education (UHB大学 with 250 students), and digital media platforms (SASARU), forming a multi-platform media and entertainment portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UHB大学 (UHB University): A lifelong learning program operated by UHB for seniors (50+), offering general education lectures, elective courses, and cultural activities.
• Yagien Ballpark

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• LDH JAPANflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 December 2022Joint venture partner in North Culture 8 LLP (NorthCulture8.LLP) for Yagien Ballpark restaurant at Hokkaido Ballpark F Village. LDH brings entertainment industry expertise and star power (EXILE SHOKICHI, EXILE NAOTO) while UHB provides media platform and local brand. Co-developed food service concept and merchandise.
• Foreign TV Stations (Multiple Countries)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Over 10 co-productions with foreign TV stations since 2013. Two types: Government-sponsored projects (Japanese Government funding for international tourism promotion) and independently funded international collaborations. Program catalogue available including HOKKAIDO PRIDE content.
• Fuji Television Network Inc. (CX)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 1972FNS (Fuji Network System) affiliated station since April 1, 1972. Fuji TV is a major stockholder (16.9% ownership per English page). Provides national program content and network affiliation. UHB broadcasts Fuji TV programs during network time slots while maintaining local programming autonomy.
• The Hokkaido Shimbun Press Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor stockholder (16.9% ownership per English page) and media partner providing newspaper content synergy and cross-promotion opportunities. Related companies include Air-G' FM Hokkaido and Hokkaido Shimbun HotMedia.
• Top Creation Co., Ltd.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSubsidiary company handling UHB University lifelong education program operations. Located at [email protected]. Manages course administration, student enrollment, and program scheduling.
• Hokkaido Nippon-Ham FightersflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPrimary partner at Hokkaido Ballpark F Village. Yagien Ballpark location inside ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO. Fighters GM Inaba collaborated on Salt Lemon Wagyu Box menu. Store open on home game days. Partnership enables exclusive food service presence at new stadium.
• EXPG札幌校 (EXILE Professional Gym)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDance school providing staff for Yagien Ballpark. Student employees staff the restaurant operations, creating youth employment opportunity and entertainment industry connection.
• North Culture 8 LLPflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLimited liability partnership (合同会社) jointly established by UHB (President Tsurui Toru) and LDH JAPAN (CEO Mori Masaki) to operate Yagien Ballpark. Manages food service operations, merchandise, and entertainment experiences at Hokkaido Ballpark F Village. Opened March 30, 2023.
• Hokkaido Municipal GovernmentscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAll municipalities in Hokkaido use UHB's digital terrestrial broadcasting data service for real-time public information. Provides elderly-friendly TV-based government communication without internet requirement. Enables emergency broadcasts and disaster information.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tokai Television Broadcasting (THK): Nagoya-based FNS affiliate with similar mid-sized regional broadcaster profile. Comparable in programming mix and corporate structure to UHB, and commonly grouped as a regional FNS station peer.
• Hokkaido Broadcasting System (HBC): Hokkaido's flagship NNN/NTV-affiliated broadcaster and the largest commercial station in the region. Direct competitor for Hokkaido regional advertising, news, and sports rights (including overlapping coverage of Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters).
• Kansai Television (KTV): Osaka-based FNS affiliate with comparable network dependency and regional-broadcaster business model. Useful for benchmarking programming economics and digital diversification strategies across the FNS system.
• Hokkaido Television Broadcasting (HTB): JNN/TBS-affiliated regional broadcaster headquartered in Sapporo. Competitor for Hokkaido news, advertising inventory, and variety programming audiences that overlap with UHB's local programming slate.
• TV Hokkaido (TVh): TXN/TV Tokyo-affiliated broadcaster serving Hokkaido. Competes for the same regional advertising pool and Hokkaido household viewership, with a different programming mix focused on anime and economics content.
• TV Nishinippon (TNC): Fukuoka-based FNS affiliate serving Kyushu. Closely parallels UHB in regional-broadcaster economics and FNS program-slot dependency, with similar exposure to local sports and government information services.
• Sendai Broadcasting (KHB): Sister FNS-affiliated regional broadcaster in the Tohoku region. Closely comparable in scale, structure, and network relationship to UHB, with similar local-news-led programming and a comparable diversified revenue profile.
• Hiroshima Television (HTV): Chugoku-region FNS affiliate. Comparable regional broadcaster in a single-prefecture market with overlapping reliance on FNS network programming and local sports/news rights.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UHB_PR
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBJbV6hW2sfcA2ugwKFBmxw
• Facebookja-jp.facebook.com/pages/category/News---Media-Website/UHB%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9-466023993550081
• Instagraminstagram.com/uhb_inuneko_club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting