NHK Trophy, the fourth of six Grand Prix figure skating regular season events, airs live on Peacock starting Thursday night.
Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto and Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama headline the women’s and men’s fields at their home Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan.
Sakamoto, who plans to retire after this season, will likely qualify for December’s Grand Prix Final with a top-three finish at NHK. She previously placed second at her opening Grand Prix start in France.
At the Final, Sakamoto, who won worlds in 2022, 2023 and 2024, could face the Americans who won the two biggest events last season: 2025 World champion Alysa Liu and 2024 Grand Prix Final champion Amber Glenn.
Liu and Glenn can clinch spots in the six-woman Final at each’s next event later this month and potentially create an Olympic preview at the Final in Nagoya, Japan.
2025 NHK Trophy Broadcast Schedule
| Day | Event | Time (ET) | Platform |
| Thursday | Rhythm Dance | 10:35 p.m. | Peacock |
| Friday | Pairs’ Short Program | 12:35 a.m. | Peacock |
| Men’s Short Program | 2:15 a.m. | Peacock | |
| Women’s Short Program | 5 a.m. | Peacock | |
| Free Dance | 10 p.m. | Peacock | |
| Saturday | Pairs’ Free Skate | 12 a.m. | Peacock |
| Men’s Free Skate | 2:30 a.m. | Peacock | |
| Women’s Free Skate | 5:30 a.m. | Peacock | |
| Exhibition Gala | 11:05 p.m. | Peacock | |
| Sunday | Highlights | 2 p.m. | NBC |
Kagiyama, the top rival to two-time world champion Ilia Malinin, makes his Grand Prix season debut. The American Malinin already won his two Grand Prix regular season starts to qualify for December’s Final.
Kagiyama ranks second in the world by best total score this season (285.91), but Malinin has the world’s top three scores (333.81, 321.00, 306.65).
Also at NHK, American ice dancers Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani are set to compete for the first time since winning bronze at the 2018 Olympics and announcing a comeback on May 1.
They’re bidding for one of three Olympic dance spots that will be decided via committee after the Prevagen U.S. Championships in January.
The NHK pairs’ field includes 2022 Olympic gold medalists Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China, plus U.S. champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov.
As of August, Efimova and Mitrofanov, sixth at last March’s worlds, were not yet eligible to compete at the Olympics as she has been working toward obtaining U.S. citizenship.
