TX Network

Not to be confused with Nasdaq: TXN, the stock symbol for Texas Instruments.

For the Texas statewide network, see Texas Network.

TX Network

Type	Broadcast television network
Country	Japan
Affiliates	TV Tokyo and others; see #TXN stations
Programming
Picture format	1080i (HD)
Ownership
Owner	Nikkei, Inc. (owns shares outstanding in every member station)
History
Founded	September 1, 1983 (as the Megalopolis Tokyo-Osaka-Okayama-Nagoya Network - MegaTON)
Former names	Mega TON Network
Links
Website	TXN Official Website (in Japanese)

TX Network (TXN) is a commercial television network in Japan owned by Nikkei, Inc. The "TX" is taken from the callsign of its flagship station, TV Tokyo. It is also known as TV Tokyo Network.

History

Tokyo Channel 12 almost went into bankruptcy in 1968. At the time, a television production company was established, with two companies, business newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun and the Mainichi Broadcasting System having a central role in the investment. At this time, MBS was affiliated to NET TV (now TV Asahi), which carried out a "key station declaration" at the request of Nikkei, in the form of cross-networking with Tokyo Channel 12 and NET, in October 1969. Both channels either signed a network, or launched a co-production program, by, for example, each other to supply the programs from both stations, to strengthen the relationship. However, the relationship involving MBS and Tokyo Channel 12 disappeared on March 31, 1975, when MBS and ABC swapped their affiliations. Tokyo Channel 12 became an independent channel and remained that way until the start of the 80s.

Then, on March 1, 1982, TV Osaka (TVO) became the first affiliate stations of what came to be TV Tokyo's network of stations. The new network was named Mega TON Network. Although "Mega TON" initially stood for "Megalopolis Tokyo-Osaka Network", the "N" also meant Nagoya, where a third station was planned. TV Aichi (TVA) began broadcasting on September 1, 1983. Also, the "Megalopolis Song Festival" was once broadcast featuring the name of the network.

On October 1, 1985, a fourth station covering Okayama and Kagawa (the Setouchi quasi-Wide Area), named TV Setouchi (TSC), started broadcasting. Because of the expansion, the network changed names on April 1, 1989 to TXN Network (TXN). At the same time, TV Tokyo gained the TX abbreviation from the station's calls. Television Hokkaido in Hokkaido and TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting in Fukuoka began broadcasting in 1989 and 1991, respectively. The network gained their current shape of six stations.

TV Tokyo has and always been by far the largest station in the TXN network and one of the major Tokyo television stations. As such, like the Tokyo television stations themselves and its (former) Canadian counterpart Télé-Métropole (now Groupe TVA), TV Tokyo dominates the network via parent company Nikkei's ownership of shares outstanding in every member station.

TXN stations

Digital channel assignments of TXN affiliates

Station abbreviation	Station	Call sign	Channel	LCN	Prefecture(s)
TX	TV TOKYO / テレビ東京	JOTX-DTV	23	7	Kantō
TVO	TV Osaka / テレビ大阪	JOBH-DTV	18		Osaka
TVA	TV Aichi / テレビ愛知	JOCI-DTV	23	10	Aichi
TVQ	TVQ Kyushu Hoso / TVQ九州放送	JOTY-DTV	26	7	Fukuoka
TVh	TV Hokkaidō / テレビ北海道	JOHI-DTV	14		Hokkaidō, Tōhoku
TSC	TV Setouchi / テレビせとうち	JOPH-DTV	18		Kagawa and Okayama
There no affiliates in Tohoku, Hokuriku, Shinetsu, and Okinawa Prefectures. JAITS members in Tokai and Kansai Regions air select TV Tokyo programming.
BS-TX	BS TV TOKYO / BSテレ東	N/A			Nationwide via Broadcasting Satellite

External links

• TXN corporate (in Japanese)