"We would not have dared to come to Japan unless we were convinced that there
was a definite market, and we now see there is a massive market here, we have a
partner that understands that market and the technological skills to provide an
enjoyable product," eGalaxy Multimedia Inc. CEO David Warga said.
Since making its debut in Canada in 1999, Naked News has become available via
the Internet, television and mobile phones in North America, Australia and
Europe.
"We believe there is a huge untapped market for the right kind of information
if it was properly packaged," Warga said. "So we created a news-entertainment
program in which women, and later men, informed while removing their clothing."
The service initially will be news that is provided for Naked News' existing
markets but with Japanese subtitles. The plan is eventually to produce content
in Japan that will appeal to a larger percentage of the population.
Another area being tested concerns the degree of nudity of the presenters.
Initially, newscasters will strip to their underwear, but Uchikawa indicated
that he hopes to be able to see how far Japanese obscenity broadcasting laws
can be bent before they are broken.
Canadian-born presenter Lily Kwan has been peeling off her work clothes for
five years and described the experience as "liberating."
"I love being able to go out onto the streets and take my clothes off," she
said. "While we have been in Tokyo, people have been very surprised to see us
with no tops on, but they're very happy and interested in talking to us."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
