An article in the Feb. 17 issue of the Asahi Shimbun describes a restaurant in Osaka where diners can watch J. League soccer games. The restaurant has three TV monitors hooked up to Sky PerfecTV, one of Japan's satellite broadcast services. At the end of January, however, the J. League shifted its exclusive broadcast contract from Sky PerfecTV to a video streaming service called DAZN. The selling point of the restaurant was always J. League games, so now the business' satellite setup is worthless.
The article doesn't say whether or not the restaurant is going to switch to streaming, which would entail an investment in internet connections and other devices, but it does say that the restaurant is falling victim to a phenomenon called datsu-terebi, or "leaving TV." Young people no longer watch television programs on TVs, if they watch them at all, preferring to use their mobile devices. And as streaming slowly catches on in Japan, people's idea of visual content is changing, not so much because of the difference between reception modes (i.e., antennas and satellite dishes and cable services versus internet providers) but because of the convenience.
The Osaka restaurant's dilemma is that with J. League games now available on a streaming service, a person who subscribes to that service can watch any J. League game anytime they want on any device that can connect to the internet. When J. League games were only available on Sky PerfecTV, the viewer had to have a satellite setup, which could be considered a waste of money if all you want to watch is soccer, so going to a restaurant or bar to enjoy games was a viable option.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.