FAQ
About NHK Video Bank
Q.
How many visual materials does your archive hold?
A.
NHK archive holds over 1,160,000 programs and 9,530,000 news items that NHK has aired over the past 100 years.
Q.
May I use NHK Video Bank service for my own personal use and/or for research purposes?
A.
NHK Video Bank services cannot be used for personal use and/or research purposes.
Q.
May I use NHK video footage free of charge?
A.
No, we do not provide footage free of charge. Please contact us for footage licensing requests.
Q.
Do you license still pictures as well as video footage?
A.
Yes. We license still pictures, video footage and audio materials from NHK archives.
Q.
May I sublicense NHK footage to a third party?
A.
No. You may not sublicense NHK footage to a third party under any circumstances.
Q.
Do you provide 4K footage? How about 8K?
A.
Yes, we provide 4K footage. At this point, 8K footage is not available for licensing.
Q.
May I use NHK video footage for commercial uses?
A.
Yes, however, we can not allow commercial use for the following:
- content that suggests that NHK is promoting or endorsing a product or service
- advertisement that advocates a certain ideology (political, religious, etc.)
Q.
Do you license footage of the general public?
A.
Due to confidentiality, we do not licence footage containing shots of the general public where the individual can be identified.
Q.
Do you licence full programs that aired on NHK?
A.
No, we only licence footage. Please contact NHK Enterprises, inc. (mb-archivesmail@nhk-ep.co.jp) for licencing whole programs.
Q.
May I licence aired news clips with anchors' comments?
A.
No, we cannot licence news footage with comments, narration, subtitles, on-air talents (anchors, reporters, etc.), studio scenes or weather reports.
About Screening
Q.
Can I view the screener online?
A.
Yes. You will receive a low-resolution, downloadable time-coded screener in mp4 format.
Q.
The image quality of the screener is low. Can you fix it?
A.
We downsample the video solely for the screener. The master copy you receive will be a high resolution copy.
About Rights Clearance
Q.
In what case am I required to work on rights clearance?
A.
When the footage is filmed on private property or includes private individuals who have not consented to publication, written consent from the owner of the relevant intellectual property rights, as well as from the individuals concerned, is required prior to licensing the footage.
About License Agreement
Q.
Can I use our contract form as a license agreement?
A.
No. We can only accept the license agreement furnished and revised by NHK.
Q.
May I use footage we have licensed previously for another forthcoming project?
A.
No. You will have to apply for a separate license for re-use of NHK footage.
Q.
I want to expand the distribution media. Can I simply pay an additional fee to do so?
A.
Please contact us if you wish to change the term/area/media of content distribution. We will inform you of the requirements for license extension/renewal.
Q.
Should I include an NHK credit in our production?
A.
You are required to include the credit, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), in relation to the footage in the end titles of the production.
Q.
Is there any fee that may apply after signing the license agreement?
A.
You will be required to inform us of what length of NHK footage was used in your production, then we will issue an invoice for the appropriate license fee.
About Master copy
Q.
What is the master copy format?
A.
We can convert the file format as requested.
The options are as follows:
Apple ProRes 422(HQ) or mp4
Q.
May I modify or edit the video?
A.
Applying mosaic, blurring, trimming, changing saturation or adding digital artwork are not allowed on any of the videos licensed from NHK Enterprises, inc.
Q.
Can I get a full refund if the quality of the footage is not broadcast quality?
A.
We suggest you to inspect the footage within 10 business days of receipt and to notify us of any defects within that period. Due to technological limitations, the master copy may not be of broadcast quality.
About Payment
Q.
Can you give me an estimated license fee?
A.
We will calculate and estimate the license fee according to the term, area and media of your use of footage. Please provide details about your production to get an estimate.
Q.
May I pay by credit card?
A.
Yes. We accept payment via wire transfer or by credit card.
Q.
Will I be charged a wire transfer fee?
A.
You are required to bear all bank charges and fees associated with your bank transfer. The invoiced amount must be paid in full.
Q.
When is the payment due date?
A.
Payment is due within 30 days of the issue of the invoice.
Q.
What happens if we fail to make payment in time?
A.
We are entitled to charge interest on overdue payments calculated on a daily basis at the rate of 8% per annum from the payment due date until we receive the full payment.