If you have not yet found that Christmas gift for the baseball fan in your family, an idea might be to get him or her a cable and satellite TV dish, tuner and service if you do not already have it. Otherwise, that fan will be watching fewer Japanese games in 2007 if your household has only terrestrial television reception.
According to the Dec. 15 edition of the Chunichi Sports newspaper, Yomiuri Giants broadcaster NTV (channel 4 in Tokyo) will televise 23 fewer Kyojin games in 2007 on regular TV. The station will air 40 of the team's 72 home games, down from 63 in 2006.
However, 22 more contests will be relayed on the BS Nitele (NTV) satellite channel, and all 72 home games will be carried on NTV's G+ cable outlet. The good news is that the games on G+ are shown in their entirety, from "Play Ball!" until the end of the game, regardless of how long it goes on. You can even see pre-game batting practice, the post-game hero interview and game highlights.