Tokyo, April 5, 2006: The FIVB World Championships Japan 2006 received extensive nationwide publicity through an entertainment extravaganza presented by host broadcaster TBS.
Viewer ratings just released revealed that around 25 million people in Japan tuned into the Volleyball Corner on TBS's All-Star "Kanshasai" on Saturday evening.
The average rating for the popular five-hour special was 20 per cent, but the figure climbed to 25 per cent for the Volleyball Corner featuring star players from the women's and men's national teams.
TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc.) holds the "Kanshasai" every spring and autumn to say "thank you" to leading celebrities for entertaining the public.
The April 1 edition included men's head coach Tatsuya Ueta plus players Yu Koshikawa and Kota Yamamura, and women's team head coach Shoichi Yanagimoto with players Yoshie Takeshita, Kana Oyama, Kaoru Sugayama and Makiko Horai.
The four-strong women's team played a short exhibition game against a six-strong team of entertainers, assisted by some gentle serves from Koshikawa and Yamamura. Ueta was the referee in a light-hearted occasion which nevertheless thrusted the World Championships into the spotlight.
