TV Asahi (Kanto local) is airing a short program called “Tsunagaru Pickle,” featuring comedian Miyazon. Broadcast every Sunday in a five-minute slot starting at 11:45 a.m., the show has Miyazon pick up a paddle and take on rallies, conveying the appeal of pickleball, a sport that originated in the United States. The program started on January 11, 2026, and has continued in its Sunday slot throughout the first half of 2026.
Terrestrial TV covering pickleball is not new in itself—it has appeared before as one-off segments and features. What's different this time is that a slot with “Pickle” in the program name itself has run every week for close to half a year. For each person gripping a paddle on court, this can be read as a milestone where recognition has stepped up a level—from “a rare sport you occasionally see on TV” to “a sport that TV follows regularly.” For players in Japan, how the sport they enjoy is seen by the wider world matters when inviting friends and when looking for courts.
What happened, in a word
TV Asahi is running a titled mini-program built around pickleball in a regular Sunday slot week after week—that's the starting point here. The performer is Miyazon. Having served as captain of his soft tennis team in junior high, he plays himself while introducing rules such as the kitchen (non-volley zone) and the basics of enjoying the game hands-on. An improvised song based on that day's experience has become a regular feature, which is very much in this show's character.
In a short five-minute slot, it puts the sport's name in the program title and has run without a break for nearly half a year. The point worth noting as news is not one-off topical consumption, but that it holds a continuing slot.
Why “Miyazon × a titled program”
The flow of terrestrial TV covering pickleball has built up little by little over the past few years. It mostly appeared as a segment on an information program or a single feature within a variety show, with footage of celebrities trying it out. This time it goes one step further, placing the sport itself as the program's theme.
The choice of Miyazon also fits the character of the sport well. Pickleball's appeal is its wide accessibility—regardless of age, gender, or athletic experience, anyone can rally with just a paddle. Miyazon, who is cheerful and good at creating an atmosphere where beginners can join in, is well suited to a role that conveys that “anyone can jump in” feel on screen. The “tsunagaru” (connecting) in the program title captures the very core of this sport—that a single paddle can connect people with a smile.
テレビが今このタイミングで定期枠を割く背景には、競技人口の広がりや、コート整備・大会開催といった動きが各地で進んでいる現実があると考えられます。放送する側にとって、視聴者が「自分にもできそう」と感じられる新しいスポーツは、扱う価値のある題材です。番組が半年続いているということは、放送局が安定して使えるコンテンツとして認識し始めたと見るのが自然でしょう。
How is this different from past exposure
Let's organize the difference in how the sport has been covered, using only facts we can confirm. Ratings and specific figures on response cannot be confirmed as public information, so we won't address them here.
- Before: appeared irregularly as one-off segments and features within information programs and variety shows
- Now: TV Asahi programs an independent slot with “Pickle” in the program name as a regular Sunday fixture
- Continuity: it has aired every week for nearly half a year since starting on January 11, 2026
- Who carries it: a well-known celebrity is fixed as the performer, in a form that continuously experiences and introduces the sport
“A one-time topic” and “something followed regularly” differ in quality as media treatment. Becoming the latter can be read as the sport beginning to be recognized by broadcasters as content they can use reliably.
競技に関わる人たちの受け止め
番組の継続を、競技に関わる人たちはどう見ているか。既存コミュニティや初心者指導の現場からの声は、おおよそ以下のような傾向を示しています。
愛好者からは「テレビで毎週やっていると、家族や友人に説明しやすくなった」という指摘。初心者指導に関わる立場からは「ルールの入り口を映像で見てきてくれていると話が早い」との手応えが聞かれます。一方で「テレビで見た人がいざ始めようとしても、近くにコートがなければ続かない。露出の盛り上がりに、場所の整備が追いつくかが次の課題」と、現実的に先を見る意見もあります。歓迎と、その先への宿題が同居しているのが、いまの空気だと言えそうです。
What it means for players and the sport
How does exposure stepping up a level rebound onto the reality on court? Let's think about the routes it ripples through in three parts.
The first isAn entry point to the playing population. Weekly terrestrial exposure reaches audiences who didn't know pickleball before. The late-morning slot in particular reaches middle-aged and older viewers with tennis or table-tennis experience, and families spending a holiday with their children. If the wide accessibility of “anyone can play with just a paddle” is shown on TV repeatedly, it works toward more people feeling “I could do that” and taking a first step. For players, that means more people to invite.
The second isA push for facilities and places. A sport continuously featured on TV becomes a factor when municipal sports facilities and private sports clubs consider new programs. The fact that it's “the talked-about sport on TV” is easy for advocates to use as a persuasive point when proposing permanent courts or trial sessions. Exposure can call in venues, and venues can call in new players, forming a virtuous cycle.
The third isA boost to the equipment market. When paddles and balls appear on the program and the play is conveyed, more people take an interest in equipment. What you first need to start is one paddle, a ball, and shoes you can move in. The flow of people who think “I want to try it” from a TV starting point picking up equipment works toward pushing up demand for entry-level paddles and starter sets. As the market grows, choices increase, which ultimately gives back to players as a whole.
How to view the ripple toward wider adoption
TV exposure is not, by itself, magic that instantly grows the playing population. What takes effect is that exposure mass-produces “first triggers.” Someone who gets interested from watching the program searches for how to start, finds a nearby trial session, and actually steps onto a court—of this pathway, what TV handles is the entry point.
That's exactly why whether the broadcast buzz can be converted into an actual playing population depends on the number of courts, the frequency of trial sessions, and the on-the-ground capacity to welcome beginners. In this period when TV is broadening the entry, if local communities and facilities can build the capacity, the exposure connects to solid adoption. Conversely, if capacity can't keep up, the interest may end as a passing phase. It's realistic to view the program's continuation as a tailwind for advancing that capacity-building.
What players can do now
There are also things you can do to put the TV buzz to work for your own playing environment.
- Invite friends and family who got interested via the program to a nearby trial session or court. “That thing on TV” is easy to use as a first line
- When welcoming beginners, checking the basics of the rules together (such as how the kitchen works) helps make the first rallies last longer
- Gather local court information and the status of trial sessions in advance, so you can point someone to a place right away when they say “I want to try it”
Now, while the broadcast is broadening the entry, it's a good time to grow your circle of new companions. The better you prepare the capacity to welcome people, the easier it is to turn TV-driven interest into actual play.
FAQ
Where is “Tsunagaru Pickle” broadcast
It airs on TV Asahi (Kanto local) in the Sunday slot from 11:45 to 11:50 a.m. It started on January 11, 2026. For the broadcast area and the schedule going forward, check the latest information from the program's official sources.
Is Miyazon experienced at pickleball
He takes part as a performer who actually tries the play on the program. He is introduced as having served as captain of his soft tennis team in junior high, and the format has him learning the rules and techniques while drawing on that background.
What effect does being featured on TV have on the sport
Being introduced continuously on terrestrial TV becomes an entry point for audiences who didn't know the sport before. More people take it up, which pushes forward the development of facilities and trial sessions and raises interest in equipment—such ripple effects can be expected. Whether that interest can be connected to an actual playing population, however, depends on the development of courts and capacity.
Summary
TV Asahi is broadcasting the titled mini-program “Tsunagaru Pickle” featuring Miyazon every Sunday, and the weekly slot has continued throughout the first half of 2026. Not a one-off topic—the very continuity of a slot bearing the sport's name in its title for nearly half a year is the highlight this time. Becoming a subject that terrestrial TV follows regularly can be read as a milestone where pickleball's recognition has stepped up a level. Exposure mass-produces entry points for the playing population, facilities, and the equipment market, but whether it can be turned into solid adoption rests with each of us who steps onto a court and with the venues that build the capacity. This is a period when TV is broadening the entry, and it's one worth seizing as a chance to grow the ranks.
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[Sources]Tsunagaru Pickle program listing (G Guide) / Tsunagaru Pickle program information (J:COM program guide)
