How broadcasters used the internet: simulcasting at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake

Abstract

On the heels of the Great East Japan Earthquake, NHK and some of the commercial broadcasters began to deliver disaster-related TV and radio news on the Internet via parallel transmit. Terrestrial television had never experienced parallel transmission of this magnitude. We recapitulate how, subsequent to the disaster, Japanese broadcasters used the Internet, particularly focusing on the role that parallel distribution played, while considering challenges that were brought to our attention.