NHK (Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai) stands for the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, established under the Broadcasting Act of Japan for the purpose of promoting broadcasting throughout Japan and providing rich and high-quality programs.
This post introduces the NHK's free and fee-based Internet streaming services, seeing what can you get from NHK online without costing a penny and how to download your favorite NHK videos for offline viewing. And since you're here, you may also be interested in how to screen NHK+ video and how to download NHK+ videos without DRM.
NHK's Free Streaming Services
If you want to stream NHK videos online for totally free, you're recommended to visit the following services:
NHK Plus offers a selection of terrestrial TV programs, including both General and E-tele broadcasts. You can watch these programs live or catch up on them within 7 days of their original air date.
NHK WORLD JAPAN
NHK WORLDJAPAN delivers international radio, TV broadcasts, and documentaries about Japan in multiple languages, providing news and cultural content to a global audience.
NHK for School (NHK High School Courses)
This service provides access to approximately 3,500 E-television school broadcast programs, designed to support high school students' learning.
NHK Archives Portal
The NHK Archives Portal offers a curated selection of historical programs, including those related to the Pacific War, the Great East Japan Earthquake, and career guidance for junior and high school students.
NHK Rajiru★Rajiru
This service provides access to a variety of radio programs from NHK Radio 1, 2, and FM.
Tver
In collaboration with commercial broadcasters, NHK offers Tver, a platform that provides a selection of programs from various genres for viewing promotion.
Radiko
Radiko is another collaborative service with commercial broadcasters, offering internet radio streaming.
NHK's Paid Subscription Service - NHK On Demand
If you want to unlock more local TV shows and episodes from NHK, you can also subscribe to it's paid streaming services: NHK On Demand.
NHK On Demand offers a selection of terrestrial and satellite TV programs, including dramas, documentaries, and variety shows. You can rent individual programs or subscribe to a monthly plan for unlimited viewing of a specific selection of programs.
Single Program Rentals
- Standard Programs: 315 yen per program
- Short Programs (30 minutes or less): 210 yen per program
- Serial TV Novels: 105 yen per program
Monthly Subscription
- Missed Programs: 1,470 yen per month
After purchasing the one-month unlimited viewing package, "Missed Programs" can be viewed within 24 hours and "Special Selection Library" within 72 hours, but cannot be recorded. However, this article will detail how to download videos from NHK.
Is it Ilegal to Download Videos from NHK?
If you download videos from NHK for personal use, it is not illegal. According to Article 30 of the Copyright Act, it is not an "illegal act" as it constitutes "reproduction for private use. If you download a video to your personal device and just enjoy it privately or with your friends, there is no problem.
However, if you download a video from NHK for secondary distribution, you may be charged with a crime. Secondary distribution is absolutely "illegal. Also, selling or reselling the downloaded content is a legal copyright infringement. Please be careful not to engage in secondary distribution.
Note: Downloading videos from NHK's streaming services, including NHK On Demand, is generally not permitted and may be considered illegal. It's important to respect copyright laws and use these services within their terms of service.
How to Download Videos from NHK Streaming Services Safely?
So how to download NHK videos to watch on the go safely? Since it's impossible to directly download the original videos from NHK app or web browser, it's recommended to use a reliable third-party tool: KeepStreams.
KeepStreams is a powerful and user-friendly video downloader that allows you to download videos from 3,000+ streaming platforms all over the world, including popular streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, U-NEXT, and NHK. You can also use it to download videos from social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
KeepStreams supports to download M3U8 videos and MPD videos, so that it can save content from various Japanese streaming sites, including U-NETX, DMM TV, TVer, d-Anime and more. What's more, it can download videos in high quality up to 1080p.
Here are the steps for how to use KeepStreams to download videos from NHK:
FAQs
Q1. Can I download NHK videos on my MacBook?
A1. Of course, KeepStreams supports not only Windows OS, but also Mac OS, and you can use KeepStreams to download NHK videos.
Q2. Can I save all NHK videos?
A2. Yes, with KeepStreams downloader, you can download videos from NHK's free and paid subscription services in high quality. You can also enjoy all of the Taiga Dramas, missed broadcasts and program lineups even in an offline environment.
Conclusion
In this article, we have explained about NHK streaming services and how to download videos from NHK in high-quality 1080p. We recommend the easy-to-use downloader KeepStreams, which is compatible with both Windows PC and Mac, so you can easily download videos on any device you like.
And since you're here, you may also be interested in how to download videos from NHK+, the streaming service. Continue to read to get more information.