NHK's annual Kohaku Uta Gassen had 32.8% ratings for the first half of the show, rebounding from last year's 30.6%, which had tied for the lowest ratings ever. On the other hand, the show's second half had ratings of 39.5%, replacing last year's 39.8% as the second lowest in history.

The numbers in the Kansai region showed strong improvement over last year. The two halves had reached historical lows with 28.5% and 37.6% ratings, but they rose to 33.2% and 39.5% this time around.