London koen- October 2025

[Kintamayama 47,224]

20 minutes ago, nagora said:

 

If the Sumo Association thinks this basho shows them something positive then they need to start making the sumo they have more accessible. Their official app doesn't work here in the UK; NHK World shows highlights but how many people have NHK World?

First and foremost, before anything else, they should allow foreign fans free access to a live broadcast. Any live broadcast. Ironically, the　Kyokai used to do it thirty years ago..　I know, you can't get free and legal live broadcasts of the MLB and NBA　either,  but in our case Abema is broadcasting live anyway - allow foreigners access as well without forcing us to be wily VPN users. Lately the Kyokai themselves are posting highlights of select bouts on their youtube channel minutes after the bouts are over, which means the Kyokai has the means in place-they just need to do it. And the app, when working.. Give us a link so we can watch the whole broadcast. (Yeah, I know, NHK won't allow it etc.. etc.. yawn). You know what? Charge a reasonable fee- we'll pay for high quality broadcasts.

In short - they can, but they don't. Let's start with THAT.

[Reonito 1,781]

36 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

First and foremost, before anything else, they should allow foreign fans free access to a live broadcast.

I have to say DAZN mostly worked very well for London, after a few hiccups on day 1. Free, 100% legit, can watch it on my TV...

[Asashosakari 20,243]

To be honest, I can never really figure out what people are expecting the Kyokai to do as far as offering video is concerned.

The old livestream (up to 2013 or whenever it was) was possible because it was fully done in-house and only negligible costs were associated with providing it. And the level of service was what you'd expect from a free offering, but I guess many long-time fans have forgotten how often it was impossible to even connect to the stream because of insufficient capacity.

Today, the Kyokai would have to financially compensate either NHK or Abema to be able to redistribute their footage worldwide, and I don't find it difficult to understand that the Kyokai isn't willing to do that when "making live sumo available outside of Japan" is completely outside of the remit of their own corporate constitution. Alternatively, some media entity with a near-worldwide footprint (Amazon Prime, DAZN etc.) would have to step up and compensate both the NSK for the international licensing rights and NHK/Abema for the actual video content, in the expectation that there's a profit to be made by offering sumo as a product to subscribers. Is there a viable business model here? I sure don't believe so, and apparently the possible suitor companies hold the same opinion. Maybe efforts like London will eventually convince a relevant player to give it a try, but I'm skeptical.

Or is it that people actually, seriously believe that the Kyokai steadfastly refuses offers of free money and that's the only thing stopping such a worldwide live stream from materializing?

[Reonito 1,781]

DAZN carried London, and presumably paid for the rights to do so—maybe it's worth it as they build their brand, especially as a provider specializing in combat sports? FWIW, Sumo is one of the sports on their menu, though it's only the 5 London videos so far.

[Tsuchinoninjin 1,291]

13 minutes ago, Asashosakari said:

 

Or is it that people actually, seriously believe that the Kyokai steadfastly refuses offers of free money and that's the only thing stopping such a worldwide live stream from materializing?

I think people just want to watch sumo without the nonsense. So they just hope.

Hey, Thursday night football is streamed for free now from one of the most profit hungry leagues in the world. But anyway, the NSK is nonprofit, so damn their profits to hell. 

[Asashosakari 20,243]

7 minutes ago, Reonito said:

DAZN carried London, and presumably paid for the rights to do so—maybe it's worth it as they build their brand, especially as a provider specializing in combat sports? FWIW, Sumo is one of the sports on their menu, though it's only the 5 London videos so far.

I think it's actually much more likely that the promoters of the London event paid for the privilege of appearing on the various platforms that carried the event (Pluto, DAZN, Prime in the US, Rakuten in Japan, maybe others I'm forgetting). Otherwise the broadcasts would have been buried behind the services' respective paywalls, or just not been carried at all (Pluto).

[Kintamayama 47,224]

49 minutes ago, Asashosakari said:

Or is it that people actually, seriously believe that the Kyokai steadfastly refuses offers of free money and that's the only thing stopping such a worldwide live stream from materializing?

No. They just don't really care about foreign fans and how they get their sumo. Because, as you pointed out, it is beyond their mandate . But they could if they wanted to. Yes, their live feed was terrible and often was stuck, but we had it. And we were thankful. Abema/NHK/Kyokai can figure out something between them, including offering a package like all pro sports  in the States do and like we had for a very short time in the past. At least make it possible, show some willingness. They just don't feel the need to do it, or do not understand the potential. But, I'm willing to bet the farm that in one year we will have an outlet. Sumo interest is growing very rapidly overseas and at some point will not be ignored, especially after Aonishiki becomes Yokozuna..   

[Reonito 1,781]

2 hours ago, Asashosakari said:

I think it's actually much more likely that the promoters of the London event paid for the privilege of appearing on the various platforms that carried the event (Pluto, DAZN, Prime in the US, Rakuten in Japan, maybe others I'm forgetting). Otherwise the broadcasts would have been buried behind the services' respective paywalls, or just not been carried at all (Pluto).

That's a good point, but I could see this being "on brand" for DAZN. In the US, London was part of their free coverage.

[Fashiritētā 213]

The DAZN app/site worked great in the U.S.

[Akinomaki 41,812]

I don't think there is any need for the providers in Japan to change anything. With free and high speed VPN (Tsukuba-dai's Softether), we have free access to the NHK live stream (now without the nagging display on the new NHK One, recordable with OBS Studio), for Abema also access to the VOD.

The Rakuten VODs were also available with VPN.

And there is no comparison of any real display of sumo to one from video. When I first attended a basho from early on, the early makushita were much more impressing than the late makuuchi in a packed and noisy arena.

[Kintamayama 47,224]

1 hour ago, Akinomaki said:

I don't think there is any need for the providers in Japan to change anything. With free and high speed VPN (Tsukuba-dai's Softether), we have free access to the NHK live stream (now without the nagging display on the new NHK One, recordable with OBS Studio), for Abema also access to the VOD.

 

Yes, if you are a computer genius like you and have Japanese skills, even with a translator. You have to know where everything is located and what to do in order to  access. Most of us do not have that information. We just want to go via a link and watch the thing.. I find it a big PITA to do all that maneuvering, and I'm not a computer novice.

[Bunbukuchagama 974]

1 hour ago, Akinomaki said:

I don't think there is any need for the providers in Japan to change anything. With free and high speed VPN (Tsukuba-dai's Softether), we have free access to the NHK live stream (now without the nagging display on the new NHK One, recordable with OBS Studio), for Abema also access to the VOD.

The Rakuten VODs were also available with VPN.

And there is no comparison of any real display of sumo to one from video. When I first attended a basho from early on, the early makushita were much more impressing than the late makuuchi in a packed and noisy arena.

This is like saying "there is no need to unlock this gate, we have a good ladder we can use to climb over the wall every time we want to get to the other side."

You see, many people still prefer to walk through a gate.

[Akinomaki 41,812]

37 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

1 hour ago, Akinomaki said:

I don't think there is any need for the providers in Japan to change anything. With free and high speed VPN (Tsukuba-dai's Softether), we have free access to the NHK live stream (now without the nagging display on the new NHK One, recordable with OBS Studio), for Abema also access to the VOD.

Yes, if you are a computer genius like you and have Japanese skills, even with a translator. You have to know where everything is located and what to do in order to  access. Most of us do not have that information. We just want to go via a link and watch the thing.. I find it a big PITA to do all that maneuvering, and I'm not a computer novice.

I'm no computer genius, I'm an expert in finding information on the net. What I'm saying is, they allow access to the official broadcasts, we don't have to look for pirated versions. This is meant to be for Japan, so we have to know Japanese to use it. They even provide a sub-audio for foreigners on NHK. NHKWorld on YT has a digest for the casual overseas fans. I don't think there's enough of a market yet to have an international provider show full English versions. Some day, maybe.

[Akinomaki 41,812]

I have to update the tips and tools to get sumo coverage. The forum is the place to share information to get that access. It gets outdated nowadays, but it still works.

[Akinomaki 41,812]

1 hour ago, Bunbukuchagama said:

This is like saying "there is no need to unlock this gate, we have a good ladder we can use to climb over the wall every time we want to get to the other side."

You see, many people still prefer to walk through a gate.

Using a VPN is a standard now, and if access is possible via a simple VPN, which could easily be blocked, this is not climbing over a wall, but finding an uncomfortable backdoor.

[Akinomaki 41,812]

The rikishi are returning - on the 20th at Heathrow airport

Asahi's Houdou station senshuraku report - the soy sauce trophy shown as well, which the papers so far haven't

 

[Bunbukuchagama 974]

1 hour ago, Akinomaki said:

Using a VPN is a standard now, and if access is possible via a simple VPN, which could easily be blocked, this is not climbing over a wall, but finding an uncomfortable backdoor.

I don't consider myself technologically illiterate, but I had to use VPN exactly once in my life, and that was to prove to a manager that a certain webpage wasn't fully accessible by customers located outside a certain country. So, VPN might not be a casual everyday tool for many of us after all.

[RabidJohn 2,069]

Back on topic, I've thought of something else that could be significant in explaining the difference in quality between the two London Basho: the kosho system was still in place in 1991. If they knew their place on the banzuke was secure in the event of an injury on the dohyo, maybe they were more willing to take risks for the kensho on offer. Pure speculation, of course.

---

Consider the above akin to a mawashi matta. Now, having retied that metaphorical garment, I'll slap you both on the back with: "I've never used a VPN, either".

[Morning 99]

I find having to use a VPN annoying, cause it's a pita to target them on only a specific program or website, so you are constantly dealing with turning it on and off and other stuff breaking because that's region locked in the opposite direction or loading slow because it's now routed twice around the world. And even with Wireguard they are a pain to set up and you have to worry about security when the other end node is not under your control.

Edited Tuesday at 13:07 by Morning

[rhyen 1,858]

On 19/10/2025 at 22:47, Reonito said:

A lot of it is annoyingly repetitive, but some of this can presumably be chalked up that it's a different audience every night, and they probably didn't watch the other days.

He does offer some interesting tidbits. I did not know that Onokatsu was a fellow mathlete in school.

Also ex-Terunofuji

[rhyen 1,858]

8 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

I'm no computer genius, I'm an expert in finding information on the net. What I'm saying is, they allow access to the official broadcasts, we don't have to look for pirated versions. This is meant to be for Japan, so we have to know Japanese to use it. They even provide a sub-audio for foreigners on NHK. NHKWorld on YT has a digest for the casual overseas fans. I don't think there's enough of a market yet to have an international provider show full English versions. Some day, maybe.

NHK world premium is the only legit worldwide stream in bilingual up until the NHK world app debuted a few years back.

Even in the NHK world app, you never get those last 1 hour free streams for the start and end of the basho when it started.

I wonder if an uptick in the support for the legit options on the NHK world premium and NHK world would signal some value to NHK and NSK to diversify?

[Akinomaki 41,812]

On 16/10/2025 at 13:15, Akinomaki said:

Mage making 

took place as PR before the event, with Hakuoho as model.

Japan House London posted the whole event, unfortunately with a long introduction by Hiro

 

[Akinomaki 41,812]

Arrival of Group A at Haneda airport - Onosato interviewed

ooo o o o o o

shukunsho

o oo

Kirishima

o

Spectator video 

 

[Jakusotsu 6,392]

9 hours ago, RabidJohn said:

Back on topic, I've thought of something else that could be significant in explaining the difference in quality between the two London Basho: the kosho system was still in place in 1991. If they knew their place on the banzuke was secure in the event of an injury on the dohyo, maybe they were more willing to take risks for the kensho on offer. Pure speculation, of course.

Are you sure that kosho also applied for injuries suffered during a koen? I honestly don't know...

[Jejima 1,494]

4 hours ago, Jakusotsu said:

Are you sure that kosho also applied for injuries suffered during a koen? I honestly don't know...

From my memory, kosho only applied for injuries during a hon-basho......  but I could be mistaken.