IPG, Inc. has begun a partnership with ANYCOLOR Inc., operator of the VTuber / virtual liver group “Nijisanji Project,” for its electronic program guide services – the “G-Guide TV Program Guide” app and the web browser version “Bangumihyo.G-Guide.” As a result, official images, profiles, and TV appearance information for Nijisanji-affiliated livers can now be viewed and searched within the program guide.

Nijisanji liver information now searchable in the program guide

The electronic program guide “G-Guide” displays cast information alongside program details, so it maintains a talent database tied to broadcast programs and manages it using IPG’s proprietary identification IDs. Until now, IPG did not hold talent data for VTubers, but this marks the first time it has begun handling VTuber information.

In recent years, the activities of VTubers and virtual livers have expanded across many fields, including appearances on TV programs. Thanks to this data linkage, users can now easily check official images, profiles, and upcoming appearance information – not only on the program detail pages when a Nijisanji-affiliated liver appears on a show, but also by searching a liver’s name through talent search. Using the app’s “favorites” feature, users can even receive notifications before a program featuring a specific liver airs.

How it looks in the program guide

The information shown includes the provided promotional photos of affiliated talent, official profile details such as name and genre, and links to official sites. Because any URL can be placed in the profile field, the TV program guide – a touchpoint many users access daily – can serve as a “gateway” that effectively directs people to official websites and the latest news.

Using the program guide as a “gateway” to expand talent exposure

G-Guide is one of Japan’s largest electronic program guide services, with roughly 800,000 monthly users on its mobile app and around 7 million monthly active users on its web browser version. By building a mechanism in which users who become interested in a talent while watching a drama or variety show can move straight from the program guide to the official website, the service supports greater awareness, fan conversion, and traffic to the latest news.

What comes next: expanding liver info and recruiting partners

Liver information will be registered in stages. IPG says it will continue to strengthen linkage with profile information for talent, athletes, creators, and others, aiming to build an environment that conveys the appeal of performers through “G-Guide.” It is also recruiting partner agencies and rights holders regarding the display of performer profiles and images.

Impressions and outlook

It is no small thing for VTubers’ official information to appear in a TV program guide – “a place that many people open every day.” As livers who have made streaming their main arena increasingly appear on terrestrial broadcasts and elsewhere, having the program guide become a new pathway to official websites and news advances both fan convenience and talent exposure at once. As a move that formally incorporates VTubers into the infrastructure of existing media, the growing roster of registered livers is worth watching.

Source: PR TIMES