TV Asahi (Kanto local) is airing a short program called \u201cTsunagaru Pickle,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
Terrestrial TV covering pickleball is not new in itself\u2014it has appeared before as one-off segments and features. What's different this time is that a slot with \u201cPickle\u201d 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\u2014from \u201ca rare sport you occasionally see on TV\u201d to \u201ca sport that TV follows regularly.\u201d For players in Japan, how the sport they enjoy is seen by the wider world matters when inviting friends and when looking for courts.<\/p>\n
TV Asahi is running a titled mini-program built around pickleball in a regular Sunday slot week after week\u2014that'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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The choice of Miyazon also fits the character of the sport well. Pickleball's appeal is its wide accessibility\u2014regardless 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 \u201canyone can jump in\u201d feel on screen. The \u201ctsunagaru\u201d (connecting) in the program title captures the very core of this sport\u2014that a single paddle can connect people with a smile.<\/p>\n
Behind TV devoting a regular slot at this timing lies the reality that the playing population is spreading and that moves such as court development and event hosting are advancing in many places. For broadcasters, a new sport that viewers feel \u201cI could do that too\u201d is a subject worth covering. The fact that the program has run for half a year makes it natural to see it as having gained a certain traction.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cA one-time topic\u201d and \u201csomething followed regularly\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
How do people involved in the sport view the program's continuation? Here we paraphrase the gist and present it anonymously. Read it not as quotation of third-party comments, but as reactions grounded in the sport's spread.<\/p>\n
From enthusiasts who regularly go to courts: \u201cWith it on TV every week, it's become easier to explain to family and friends. Being able to say \u2018the thing from that show\u2019 is a big help.\u201d From those involved in coaching: \u201cWhen a beginner shows up having seen the basics of the rules on video, it speeds things up. I feel the program is broadening the base.\u201d On the other hand, there were realistic, forward-looking views too: \u201cEven if someone sees it on TV and wants to start, they won't keep it up without a court nearby. Whether facility development can keep pace with the surge in exposure is the next challenge.\u201d Welcome and the homework beyond it coexist\u2014that seems to be the current mood.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The first isAn entry point to the playing population<\/strong>. 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 \u201canyone can play with just a paddle\u201d is shown on TV repeatedly, it works toward more people feeling \u201cI could do that\u201d and taking a first step. For players, that means more people to invite.<\/p>\n The second isA push for facilities and places<\/strong>. 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 \u201cthe talked-about sport on TV\u201d 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.<\/p>\n The third isA boost to the equipment market<\/strong>. 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 \u201cI want to try it\u201d 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.<\/p>\n TV exposure is not, by itself, magic that instantly grows the playing population. What takes effect is that exposure mass-produces \u201cfirst triggers.\u201d Someone who gets interested from watching the program searches for how to start, finds a nearby trial session, and actually steps onto a court\u2014of this pathway, what TV handles is the entry point.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n There are also things you can do to put the TV buzz to work for your own playing environment.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2014such 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.<\/p>\n TV Asahi is broadcasting the titled mini-program \u201cTsunagaru Pickle\u201d featuring Miyazon every Sunday, and the weekly slot has continued throughout the first half of 2026. Not a one-off topic\u2014the 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.<\/p>\n [Sources]Tsunagaru Pickle program listing (G Guide)<\/a> \/ Tsunagaru Pickle program information (J:COM program guide)<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" TV Asahi is airing \"Tsunagaru Pickle,\" a titled mini-program featuring Miyazon, every Sunday. We break down, from a Japanese player\u2019s perspective, what it means for terrestrial TV to put pickleball in a program title.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ssp_meta_description":"\u30c6\u30ec\u30d3\u671d\u65e5\u304c\u307f\u3084\u305e\u3093\u51fa\u6f14\u306e\u51a0\u30df\u30cb\u756a\u7d44\u300c\u3064\u306a\u304c\u308b\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u300d\u3092\u6bce\u9031\u65e5\u66dc\u306b\u653e\u9001\u4e2d\u3002\u5730\u4e0a\u6ce2\u304c\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u306b\u756a\u7d44\u540d\u3092\u51a0\u3057\u305f\u610f\u5473\u3092\u3001\u65e5\u672c\u306e\u30d7\u30ec\u30fc\u30e4\u30fc\u76ee\u7dda\u3067\u8aad\u307f\u89e3\u304d\u307e\u3059\u3002","swell_btn_cv_data":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"region":[],"class_list":["post-4312","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","category-trend"],"acf":{"summary":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/4312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4312"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=4312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How to view the ripple toward wider adoption<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What players can do now<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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FAQ<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Where is \u201cTsunagaru Pickle\u201d broadcast<\/h3>\n
Is Miyazon experienced at pickleball<\/h3>\n
What effect does being featured on TV have on the sport<\/h3>\n
Summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Related Articles<\/h2>\n
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