Japanese Broadcasters Fear Wii TV

The Japanese broadcasting industry has reason to fear Nintendo's new Wii video content initiative, according to an article today from the Times Online.

One senior executive at Fuji Television, the largest commercial broadcaster in Japan, called the planned Wii streaming video service "the stuff of television producers' nightmares."

Nintendo announced last week its intention to launch a Wii streaming channel in Japan. The company has partnered with top Japan advertising firm Dentsu, and intends to launch the service sometime this year.

The Fuji executive noted that if Nintendo did push for the Wii to become "the centerpiece of the living room," it would come at a particularly bad time for Japanese broadcasters, which are currently being criticized for "relying too heavily on repeats and celebrity formats."