It's official now….the moment that we were all dreading but knew would inevitably come has finally arrived: HKTV (through its chairman Ricky Wong) announced yesterday that they are completely withdrawing from the television industry. In addition to retrieving the second license application that they submitted back in 2014 (which has been in "pending" status since that time), they will also be returning the mobile TV license they had obtained and also returning the broadcasting spectrum they have to the government. Details are in the article from SCMP below that actually sums it up pretty well (there are tons of articles out in Chinese too but I'm too lazy to translate, lol).
As a fan and supporter of HKTV for so long, people have been asking me what my take is on this news. To be honest, I feel it's a good decision – one that is long overdue. Ever since HKTV was denied a license back in 2013, I had already said that Ricky Wong was better off just leaving and investing his money elsewhere instead – but then he re-submitted his application and also acquired mobile license, continued building up his studio, and kept saying that he planned to resume production, even though the writing had been on the wall for a long time that he wasn't going to. A few months back, when the news came out that RW had sold his stake in HKTV to his partner so he could concentrate fully on his HKTVmall, that was already a clear sign that he had given up on the television industry already (despite the words that came out of his mouth that indicated the contrary). I'm honestly surprised that RW didn't decide to withdraw sooner, since it has been obvious for years that the government was not going to grant him a license no matter what and he was wasting both his money and his time in "limbo".
Of course, with all that said, part of me is still a little sad that HKTV is officially no more, but most importantly, I'm sad for the HK television industry. Long-time readers of my blog will know that I've been following the HK entertainment industry since the 1980s (technically earlier than that if we count my mom's relationship with the industry) and have witnessed the evolution of the industry for close to 3 decades now. I grew up watching TVB (and also ATV to some extent) and up until the early 2000s, had considered myself a "die-hard" fan – needless to say that having to witness TVB (and the HK television industry as a whole) spiral downhill and deteriorate to the point that it has over the past 15 years has been painful. Just when I thought things had reached the point of no return, HKTV showed up a few years ago and injected a glimmer of hope into an industry that was already on the brink of death. HKTV not only shook up a dormant industry that had been "asleep" for way too long, they also changed the face of HK television production and proved to many of us – those in the industry as well as ordinary audiences – that it WAS possible to make quality productions without resorting to "slave labor" (long hours with little to no rest), that it WAS possible to wait until scripts were 100% complete before starting to film, that it WAS possible to treat artists with respect and dignity and pay them well at the same time. HKTV also showed us what true "creative freedom" meant, showed us what sincerity looked like, showed us how important a role working environment plays in employee satisfaction (though honestly I already knew this from working in the corporate world for many years), and quite frankly, opened the eyes of many folks who had been drinking the TVB Kool-aid for too long and didn't realize that there truly were alternatives to the "TVB way". For me though, HKTV's biggest contribution will always be the lives they were able to change by forcing TVB to "up" their game in the face of the severe competition that TVB had up to that point had the "luxury" of avoiding: the countless stories of behind-the-scenes folks at TVB who were never recognized for their work suddenly getting pushed to the forefront, or the poor scriptwriter who received their first raise in 20 years, or the green leaf artists who were previously cast by the wayside in favor of the younger, prettier leads finally getting the recognition that had been long overdue. I feel sad for the industry because HKTV's defeat means that TVB has won -- the implication of which I don't even want to think about…
To HKTV and Ricky Wong: as a long-time supporter of the HK television industry, I salute you and thank you for all that you were able to accomplish in the 8 short years that you existed. While some of the changes that came about were only temporary, a few did end up being permanent and much of that was because of your efforts. Thank you for revolutionizing the industry during a time when it was very much needed and for showing us that HK is truly capable of making quality productions, it's just a matter of putting the right effort and passion into it. Most of all, thank you for doing something that TVB had stopped doing many years ago (and still refuse to do even now): respecting audiences and treating us like actual human beings with our own voices/thoughts/opinions rather than brainless sheep blindly eating whatever crap was being fed to us. You truly put audiences first, didn't try to think for us, and actually allowed us to have a say in shaping your productions – this is one of the things I will miss most, especially given the current state of the industry. Best of luck to you and wish you the utmost success with HKTVmall (and yes, I have confidence you will be the next Amazon, lol).
***.
Hong Kong media maverick Ricky Wong quits free-to-air TV dream and exits sector
Source: SCMP
Media tycoon Ricky Wong Wai-kay has quit his troubled quest to secure a free-to-air television licence for the ill-fated Hong Kong Television and vowed never to return to the broadcasting business.
His remarks came on Tuesday as the publicly listed HKTV announced its annual results for 2017, revealing a staggering net loss of HK$204.9 million (US$26.1 million). The share price of HKTV had plunged by 14 per cent to HK$3.16 when markets closed on Tuesday.
Explaining the reason to end his lifelong free-to-air TV dream, Wong, who chairs HKTV, said the wait had simply been too long.
"The answer is as simple as 'we've been waiting for eight years,'" he said.
According to the outspoken businessman, the company, formerly named City Telecom, was "invited" by government officials in 2009 to apply for the license.
But in 2013, the Executive Council, led by then chief executive Leung Chun-ying, only granted the licence to i-Cable's Fantastic TV and PCCW's HK Television Entertainment Company.
The rejection of HKTV's application sparked public outcry that year, with many questioning whether the decision was politically driven. More than 300 staff members were also laid off in the same year.
The company's second bid was filed the following year, but on Tuesday, Wong said the application had been withdrawn after four years of not hearing back from the government.
Despite declaring his exit from the broadcasting business, Wong said he had no plans to rename the company. "I think the name … HKTV is a sweet memory for many Hong Kong people – the memory, I think, is valuable."
Asked if he held any resentment towards the government, Wong said he would "take it easy".
"I taught my kids that this world is never fair, we have to learn to face unfair challenges," he said.
Wong also told reporters he had "nothing to say" to Leung, now vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top advisory body.
While the company currently operates a broadcast-type mobile TV service via its website and mobile application, Wong also announced on Tuesday it would be shut down.
The TV shows produced by HKTV, however, would be aired on a free TV channel in April, Wong said.
According to sources, the programmes would be aired on Fantastic TV starting mid-April.
Wong said the company would focus resources on the e-commerce business, such as purchasing more trucks to deliver goods sold via its online shopping platform, HKTVmall. Media equipment that was bought for its TV productions would be used to create multimedia content to support the e-commerce push.
A spokesman of the Office of the Communications Authority said on Tuesday night that HKTV had informed it earlier in the day about the application withdrawal.
"After HKTV withdrew its application, the office has no other free-to-air TV licence application to process," the spokesman said. He did not say why the application took years to process.
A former HKTV staff member said she was not surprised by Wong's move as the company had already laid off all production team members and had since focused on its online shopping business.
In 2016, HKTV posted a net loss of HK$257.1 million.
In 2016, HKTV posted a net loss of HK$257.1 million.
Norris Wong, a former junior script writer who was laid off in 2013, said Ricky Wong should be remembered as someone who revolutionised the development of local broadcasting.
"Never before had any broadcaster invested so much money into local dramas," Norris Wong said.
"By doing so, he prompted other broadcasters such as TVB to do better to compete, pushing up the standard of local dramas. We also saw hope that the reputation of Hong Kong productions would be revived and the industry can regain its fame in the region."
"By doing so, he prompted other broadcasters such as TVB to do better to compete, pushing up the standard of local dramas. We also saw hope that the reputation of Hong Kong productions would be revived and the industry can regain its fame in the region."
She said HKTV was once a place where local scriptwriters could be creative and make their dreams of good productions come true, adding she was saddened that all this had come to an end.
Information technology sector lawmaker Charles Mok said it was a shame that HKTV was never awarded the license.
"We had no chance to know if the [free-to-air TV] market will be different," Mok said.
The case of HKTV might have put off interested parties from entering the local TV industry, he said, adding that the government needed to introduce more transparency to its process of granting such licences.
