TOPANGA gets Nico channel

I don't know when, but I just noticed from the banner on the front page of Nico Nico Live that TOPANGA now has its own channel opened by Nico Nico's mother company itself. The contents on the page are all the pay-per-view episodes and the past TOPANGA Concept Matches that were streamed officially.

The channel is different from an user channel/community that TOPANGA already has. This premium channel has some privileges and will get more exposure. It can offer both free and paid contents. There're currently only 57 channels in game category and most of them was opened by game companies.

We know that TOPANGA League probably gets second season easily, but I also wish TOPANGA TV moves from Twitch TV to Nico especially now they have the channel. I think their teaching corner is great and more people should see it. They only need a better stream management and sound equipments.

Japanese fighting game communities try to appeal to the international audience by using Ustream or Twitch TV. But that's only good for a real big tournament. It doesn't work on talk shows or smaller tournaments. On Nico, not only more people will see it, more people understand it. (On Ustream or Twitch TV, many people who don't understand Japanese troll the chat instead.) Either way, matches will be seen, and a site like Beast Note will translate stuff for English speakers. They should think about getting new viewers who speak the same language to strengthen their communities first.

Nico Nico now has more than 22 million subscribers and 1.5 million paid members.