TOKYO--()--AKB48 will broadcast the year’s largest Japanese idol event, the AKB48 General Election for its 27th Single CD (hereafter, “the General Election”), on Google+ (http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/) and You Tube from 5:20 p.m. (JST) until the end of the election on Wednesday, June 6, 2012. The election will be streamed live in two languages (Japanese/English*) on the “General Election +1 Website” (www.akb48plus.com).
Fans Choose “The Most Exciting Moment Worldwide” of the AKB48 General Election with Google+
As they watch the event, streamed bilingually (Japanese/English) online for the first time ever via Google+ on June 6 at 5:20 PM (JST), fans from around the world can choose their favorite moment of the election by pressing the +1 button on AKB48’s Google+ page. Fans can check the official “AKB48 General Election +1 Website” for a real-time “global excitement graph” measuring the number of +1’s received by fans around the world for each exciting moment. This revolutionary new way for fans to share in real-time the excitement of a livestreamed event is a major breakthrough in media entertainment and brings a whole new dimension to a traditionally passive experience.
At 11 PM (JST), the top winner’s inauguration speech will also be streamed exclusively in real-time to the entire world over Google+. **
*1 Streamed bilingually (Japanese/English) with simultaneous translation
*2 If the winning member is under the age of 18, a voice-only speech will be broadcast from their home.
Real-time live text coverage of the Rankings via AKB48’s Official Google+ Page
For those that are unable to watch the livestream, AKB48’s live coverage posts on Google+ will provide real-time updates on the rankings to anyone with a smartphone and the free Google+ application installed.
In addition to showing the most exciting moments of the election, the “AKB48 General Election +1 Website” will be the only place to see the finalized ranking for the top 64 members.
Who is AKB48?
In addition to being the most well-known Japanese idol group, AKB48 holds the world record for largest pop band with its 207 members. Formed under the concept of “idols you can meet everyday”, AKB48 performs every night in a small theater of their own where fans can go to see their shows as often as every day.
By bringing its members onto Google+, AKB48 is now able to realize its founding concept like never before. Fans from all over the world can now connect to AKB48 at any time, online and on Google+, to see and voice their opinions through posts or comments to their favorite members. After 207 members started accounts on Google+ in December 2011 last year, AKB48 has attracted a following of over 10 million fans from all over the world on Google+.
For more on AKB48, visit: http://www.akb48.co.jp/english/
To see all the AKB48 members on Google+, visit: http://www.google.com/intl/en/+/project48/
What is the AKB48 General Election?
The General Election for AKB48 is the largest annual event in Japanese music and entertainment. It has traditionally been an event where fans buy CDs (only sold in Japan) and vote on who should be the top member. Every year, over a million votes are collected, and the Japanese media and level of general awareness of the event are almost on par with a real political election. The final list of the 64 top ranked members attracts attention nationwide and is published following the event.