News: Victory for Hong Kong media maverick Ricky Wong in mobile TV battle (title from SCMP article)

Some of you might have already heard the news (which came out yesterday) that the Communications Authority decided to approve HKTV's application to "upgrade their mobile TV transmission standard" to the same digital transmission that is currently used by the free-to-air networks -- interestingly enough, some media outlets are reporting this news as the CA "approving HKTV's mobile TV license."  To be honest, both of these technically aren't the same thing and really shouldn't be used interchangeably, since the fact is that HKTV already has a mobile TV license that they bought from another company, it's just they couldn't "use" the license up to this point because the platform they had for transmission was low quality resolution.  As a means of background, HKTV had submitted a request to the CA several years ago to upgrade their transmission platform to digital terrestrial transmission so that they could broadcast their series in higher quality, however the CA rejected their request, claiming that HKTV was trying to "circumvent the system" by upgrading to same transmission quality as the current free-to-air stations (Ricky Wong had submitted the request not long after his application for a free-to-air license was denied).  HKTV had filed a judicial review against the CA on this issue several years ago, but the courts had ruled in favor of the CA and the government, so Ricky Wong was pretty much forced to "abandon" his mobile license.

Well, now it looks like the CA has decided to "reverse course" and approve the upgrade.  Not sure what this means in terms of the license issue (remember that HKTV still has a second application for a free-to-air license in the government's hands awaiting approval/denial), as it could technically go both ways -- this could be the government's way of "appeasing" Ricky Wong in case they decide to reject his license application for a second time...or it could mean that finally, HKTV has a fighting chance at possibly getting the license.  Regardless of which way it goes though, one thing is for sure -- the new administration under Carrie Lam doesn't seem to be hell-bent on bringing down HKTV like the previous administration under CY Leung was.

Details about the approval are in this SCMP article.

With all that said though, I also read an article from HK01 in Chinese that paints a more realistic picture of what this mobile TV transmission approval means for HKTV (and HK audiences).  Though most of us can consider this a "small victory" for HKTV and Ricky Wong, the real picture is more bleak (for the record, most of the stuff in the HK01 article is pretty much in-line with what I've been trying to get across for the past 2-3 years -- basically that it's "too little, too late" and even if HKTV were to finally get their license approved, it's pretty much pointless, since things have changed so drastically -- both for HKTV and the TV industry).

In the interests of time, I'm not going to translate the HK01 article word for word.  However, I will translate the 2 most important paragraphs of the article, which were basically Ricky Wong's response to HK01 and also a high level HKTV exec's response to the CA's decision:

When HKTV switched to becoming an e-commerce shopping platform in 2014, the company essentially lost all its artists as well as behind-the-scenes staff (scriptwriters, directors, etc).  Towards the mobile license decision, Ricky Wong responded through his spokesperson: "Half the scriptwriters and directors already returned to TVB!  The rest we will have to wait and see before saying anything further" -- meaning that resuming filming again will be difficult.

A current high level executive at HKTV revealed:  "Even if the government were to approve the free-to-air license now, HKTV's business model has already changed.  Plus for the past 3 years that we've been doing HKTVmall, we've been losing money -- it was only recently that we started getting alot more orders and business has become more stable.  However, Mr. Wong has alot less capital (funds) to work with now, since HKTVmall has yet to turn over a profit -- with alot less money than he used to have, where will he find the money to invest in filming series?"  The exec also indicated that if HKTV goes the mobile TV route only (assuming their free-to-air license doesn't get approved) and they do decide to film series again, for sure they won't be filming 1 hour episodes -- to reduce production costs, each episode would only be around 10 to 15 minutes.  Also, half the scriptwriters and directors (producers) already returned to TVB, so whether they would be willing to help Ricky Wong fight the battle again is a huge unknown.

For example, HKTV series The Borderline (警界線) producer Chu King Kei (朱鏡祺) already returned to TVB awhile back ago and produced their recently mega-hit series My Unfair Lady (不懂撒嬌的女人), while The Election (選戰) producer KK Wong (黃國強) was recruited by Andy Lau's (劉德華) company to produce the series Hong Kong Wall Street (香港華爾街) for Fox Asia, so it looks like neither producer would be returning to HKTV even if given the opportunity -- in the near future at least.

Source:  HK01
(Article title: 港視獲發牌《選戰》《警界線》有望拍續集？ 王維基：編導去晒TVB)

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Concluding thoughts:  Basically, this "small victory" for HKTV really isn't much of a victory, since it looks like the chances of Ricky Wong filming series again is very slim.  Besides, as the HK01 article already pointed out, HKTV's operational model has already changed, so even if they did film series again, it definitely won't be the same as 5-6 years ago -- in other words, all the things that had made HKTV such a viable alternative to TVB back then (aka all the things I had loved about HKTV) would no longer be in existence now.  Of course, someone like me would probably still support HKTV, but I can't say the same about majority of HK's audiences, many of whom still view TVB as their only option for HK television programs (just look at the 2 new free-to-air stations that recently launched -- ViuTV last year and Fantastic Television this year -- and you'll see how pathetic the situation is nowadays).  Heck, if I were Ricky Wong, from a practical as well as financial standpoint, I would continue to focus on expanding and developing the HKTVmall business too and not even bother with the television production stuff anymore!

**EDITED** am730 Editorial: Hong Kong-style investigative TV series

I came across this article the other day and felt like sharing it.  The article is a quick, interesting read that discusses some of the most common ‘characteristics’ of Hong Kong’s investigative/mystery TV series.  Now of course, whether we view these ‘characteristics’ as positive or negative is up to the reader/audience, as each person’s viewpoint is different (though the writer of the article seems to view these characteristics as negative based on the sarcastic tone that he/she used to write the article).

Obviously, the writer is mainly referring to TVB’s series in the article (I guess we could say that is one disadvantage of being the only TV station in HK – when they is ‘criticism’ about “HK television series”, 99.9% of the time they are talking about TVB series).  With that said though, there IS mention of HKTV in the article and one of their series was talked about as having a similar ‘formulaic’ aspect to it (I’m sure those who’ve been following HKTV can guess which series, as I know we’ve talked about it in discussion forums).  To be honest, HKTV’s series also have some formulaic stuff in them, but I’m able to be more forgiving towards them because 1) they did put in huge effort to ‘break’ from the traditional TVB formula and produce series that are different from what HK audiences are used to; 2) they dare to explore topics that are ‘taboo’ or off-limits in HK (i.e. politics, Mainland/HK conflict, etc.), and 3) they have not been in existence for long (though some may argue that they are technically ‘illegitimate’ since they don’t have a license) and already they are exploring different things, whereas TVB has been around for more than 4 decades and despite their series going downhill, they still refuse to change.

Anyway, I digress…..going back to the article, how many of the below defining characteristics of HK television series do you agree with? 

P.S.:  In my translation, I tried to keep the writer’s sarcastic tone as much as possible, since the sarcasm is really what makes this article an interesting, witty read.  However, I recommend reading this article as it was originally written (in Cantonese) to get the full effect.

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999: Hong Kong-style investigative TV series

Source:  am730

Translation:  llwy12

Article originally published July 9, 2015

In the past few decades, Hong Kong’s biggest (and only) TV station has come out with its fair share of investigative series (推理劇). [TN: for the purposes of this article, I will use the word ‘investigative series’ to describe推理劇 however those who prefer ‘detective series’ or ‘mystery series’, feel free to use those terms instead].   These types of series generally have an abundant, complicated storyline and are almost guaranteed to pull in good ratings – indeed, these series had their glory days for a period of time.  However, as we all know, the traditional path for HK’s scriptwriters is to get ‘inspiration’ for their stories from American, Japanese, and Korean investigative series as well as novels.  This is why, in many of HK’s TV series, we often see familiar story concepts such as those found in the works of [Japanese novelist] Jiro Akagawa (赤川次郎), manga series Case Closed (aka Detective Conan), American series such as NYPD Blue and CSI, etc.  Now of course, the scriptwriters can’t copy those works verbatim, so they will always mix in some of their own ‘ideas’ to the story so as to make it their own – and with that, the ‘essential characteristics’ of HK television series was born.

1.       Working professionals (專業人士)

In HK series, the main lead is usually a working professional of some sort:  police officer, lawyer, doctor, high-ranking detective, forensics investigator, professor, etc.  Sometimes the character may even have more than one occupation that covers a combination of these professions.  What about ancient (costume) series, you ask?  Constable, guard, magistrate, bureaucratic official, etc. -- take your pick.  Oh and if they have any sort of martial arts skill, it makes their job of solving cases much easier!  Actually, Western series often go the ‘professional’ route as well, so we’re not too far off, I suppose.  Besides, in recent years, we’ve seen more of an emergence of less professional characters such as insurance agents, theater masters, etc. – I guess we can consider that a bit of improvement!

2.       One case per week (每周一單case)

Everyone knows that most Western investigative series utilize the ‘one case per episode’ route, which makes the story fast-paced and tightly written.  HK investigative series on the other hand, usually have two cases spanning 1 week, with 1 story easily taking up 3 to 4 episodes.  Investigative costume dramas, such as Justice Pao for example, are usually only 1 case per week, which of course means that the plot develops unbelievably slowly and oftentimes the story drags.  Actually, HKTV’s chairman Ricky Wong (王维基) had tried changing things up at one point, sending his scriptwriters overseas to learn the American way of filming series in the hopes of bringing a ray of light to HK audiences.  But we all know how that ended up, right?  No need for further explanation there!  So all you HK audiences out there, don’t even think about getting to watch this type of fast-paced investigative HK series any time soon!

3.       ‘Perfect’ main leads (完美主角)

If you notice in most HK investigative series over the past decades, the main leads are all physically fit and mentally as well as psychologically competent.  Dayo Wong’s (黃子華) character Detective Mok from TVB’s 2003 series To Catch the Uncatchable (棟篤神探) can be considered a rare exception, as he has asthma, so he is not able to heroically carry the series’ female lead Ada Choi (蔡少芬) out of an inferno (like all his other counterparts have done with their female leads).  Scriptwriters of Western series already realized a long time ago that having their main characters be ‘perfect’ is way too unrealistic, so they will usually add some type of ‘flaw’ to the character – for example, making the character have an obsessive-compulsive disorder or some type of physical handicap.

4.       Suspects voluntarily confess (疑兇自爆)

Don’t know why, but in most HK investigative series, when it comes to solving cases, the pattern is almost always the same:  when the suspect is caught and questioned on whether he is the killer, he will first give you that ‘how did you know?’ look, then inevitably he will confess to the crime.  Not only that, he will then start describing in detail every bad thing he did and his justification for doing it – things that perhaps you already knew as well as things that you didn’t.  Boy do we wish that criminals in real life would be this cooperative – we could save a lot of money in attorneys’ fees and also a lot of precious public time and money!

5.       Reenactment of cases (案件重演)

In HK investigative series, once the suspect confesses to the crime, there’s no need to wait for Police Report (警訊) to find out the details of the crime.  Automatically, the case will go into the ‘reenactment’ stage, the scene’s background color will change to either black and white or a lighter color, and the suspect will then start ‘telling his story’ from the beginning:  how he killed the victim, how he disposed of the body, how he framed someone else for the crime, how he misled the police, etc. etc.  In fact, the description will be so detailed that audiences pretty much only need to watch those few minutes of confession and they will already know the exact story that occurred in the previous few episodes.

6.       Voiceover accompaniment (v.o.配畫面)

HK’s TV stations generally believe that reenacting a case in detail is not enough to help the housewives (whose minds are probably numb from doing household chores all day) or the elderly folks (who most likely have weakened vision) understand the case completely from beginning to end.  Therefore, they (the TV stations) will very ‘attentively’ add voiceover (旁白) to accompany the reenactment scenes:  for example, the scene shows the suspect standing over the victim, knife in hand, ready to stab -- the voiceover accompanying that scene involves the suspect saying, “At that moment, I decided to stab him!”  Another example:  the scene shows the suspect digging a big hole in the ground, obviously to bury the body, yet it is necessary to have the voiceover say “I dug a hole and buried the body.”   So attentive indeed!

7.       Homosexuals are killers? (同志係兇手？)

An earlier analysis of HK television series concluded that HK-style investigative series with homosexual characters usually will portray them as killers or other criminals.  A recent example is last year’s TVB series Officer Geomancer (八卦神探) where the lesbian character portrayed by Pauline Chow (周寶霖) ended up being a serial killer.  Oh and remember Kevin Cheng’s (鄭嘉穎) character in 2007’s The Ultimate Crime Fighter (通天幹探) and Kiwi Yuen’s (袁潔儀) character in 2005’s Into Thin Air (人間蒸發)?  Both were homosexuals and both ended up being murderers.   In the few instances where homosexual characters are not written as killers or murder suspects, they are still not portrayed in a good light, with those characters usually being a villain or a bad person.  I wonder if this is considered being prejudiced?

8.       Love story, love story, and more love story (愛情、愛情再愛情)

Not sure if HK’s scriptwriters feel that most Hong Kongers’ lives are dull and uninteresting so they feel the need to ‘spice things up’ with complicated love relationships.  In practically every investigative series, the scriptwriters will add at least one (though more often than not it’s ‘many') love relationship line for each of its main characters – the most classic example of this is Detective Investigation Files IV (刑事偵緝檔案IV), which featured 2 male leads and 4 female leads in love relationships that at times overshadowed the plot itself.  It’s almost as though if a series doesn’t have complicated love relationships, no one will watch.  Wait a minute….I remember now that a scriptwriter told me once that there really was a series that had no love relationship lines whatsoever – the ratings ended up in the toilet and the station even threatened to ax the series!  Well, in that case, what else can I say except to admit that HK audiences truly do need love relationships in order to survive?

9.       The ‘twins’ antidote (孖生解藥)

With investigative series, we know that scriptwriters are endlessly immersed in conjuring up various ideas for their cases.  So it’s reasonable to expect that, at times, they will come up with cases so complicated that even they cannot come up with a plausible way to solve them!  Well, no worries, because when in a rut, the sure-fire way to resolve it is to add a twin brother or twin sister character to the mix!  A few examples:  Ram Tseung’s (蔣志光) character in 1997’s Mystery Files (迷離檔案) as well as Maggie Siu’s (邵美琪) character in Detective Investigation Files IV (刑事偵緝檔案IV) both had twin siblings who ended up being killers (though it’s not discovered until after the characters appear to suffer from schizophrenia, only to realize afterwards that it was the twin all along).  Even HKTV’s The Borderline (警界線) had to resort to the ‘twins’ storyline in order to resolve the ‘mystery’ of killer Pandora’s true identity.

10.   ‘Everything goes’ ending (合該有事)

As if all the ‘out of the ordinary’ cases that the main leads experience throughout the series is not enough (hey, in real life, there are cops who’ve been in the police force for 30 years and don’t encounter the ‘extraordinary’ cases the characters in investigative series do), the scriptwriters find it necessary to make the lead characters' lives as ‘dramatic’ in the finale as possible.  Therefore, in the series’ final case, the tables are usually turned on the main leads, with them either being framed or getting into all manner of trouble that is [seemingly] impossible to get out of.  Oh and of course, in the end, the female lead and / or her family have to be pulled into the mess as well, with the most common situation being kidnapping or holding them hostage.  Don’t believe me?  Go ask Jessica Hsuan (宣萱)! [TN:  Haha…I laughed at that last part – Jessica probably holds the record for being kidnapped/held hostage the most in TVB series].

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Here’s my take on the 10 ‘characteristics’ that the article describes:

The first point about working professionals I actually don’t have a problem with, as it’s kind of hard to avoid.  I basically don’t see a problem with going the ‘working professional’ route as long as the story is written well.

Point #2 I’m definitely in agreement with, as that’s one of the main reasons why a lot of the series get so draggy (though there’s other stuff too, such as the love relationship thing they mentioned in #8).  In fact, isn’t that one of the biggest complaints with TVB’s series in general – that they aren’t “fast-paced” enough and drag on and on unnecessarily?

Point #3 is a bit of an exaggeration (especially with the ‘carrying the female lead out of an inferno’ part), but it does have some truth to it in that oftentimes the main leads in HK series truly are ‘too perfect’.  This one is pretty much an indirect critique on the lack of character development in many of TVB’s scripts.

Point #4 -- I agree that the suspect confession thing truly is overused in most of TVB’s investigative series – the writer made a good point with the example of criminals not being so “cooperative” in real life…I mean, how many times have we seen a suspect get arrested, get proven guilty, and go to jail, but never once confess to committing the crime?  Too many times to count.   

Points #5  and 6 had me laughing really hard.  Yes, the writer was overly sarcastic (I don’t think the housewives and the elderly would appreciate being stereotyped like that), but what he/she said is very true.  This is pretty much a jab at the constant redundant dialogue in TVB’s scripts, which we already know is a big problem for them (this is definitely not the first time it’s been brought up).  When I first read this point, I was reminded of something I had read about HKTV a few years back, how Ricky Wong was so adamant about his scriptwriters not having redundant, wasteful dialogue in their scripts – his philosophy was:  the less dialogue, the better.  It’s obvious that HKTV spent a lot of time refining this area in their scripts, which I as an audience definitely appreciate…

Personally, I’m glad they put point #7 in there because the way TVB portrays / handles homosexual characters has been a long-standing problem with their series and one that is extremely disturbing given how huge an influence their series have on society.  The part I’m not sure of is whether they handle the characters this way out of ignorance or out of bias – either way, it’s definitely a problem.  I will have to say that, so far, I definitely appreciate the approach that HKTV has taken to homosexual characters in their series (which is completely opposite of TVB’s) – and like The Menu’s scriptwriter Poon Man Hung said during an interview:  since she does not have experience writing about homosexual characters and therefore doesn’t have the confidence that she can handle the subject properly, she would rather just touch on it briefly like she did in The Menu and leave it at that….obviously a smart decision!

Point #8 has always been one of my pet peeves since I learned how to write scripts many years ago.  While it’s true that there will always be some type of ‘love’ relationship in all scripts, the part that TVB’s scriptwriters don’t seem to understand is that ‘love relationship’ doesn’t always have to mean romantic love – there’s love between family, friends, even strangers that can be completely platonic.  To me, putting too many complicated love relationships into a series whose focus is not above that at all totally detracts from the original story itself (I think the writer read my mind here because the first example that came to my mind when I read this one was also DIF IV, as that has always been the biggest ‘complaint’ I had about the series – though of course there are many others with the same problem too).

Point #9 is one that I think pretty much everyone agrees with as being a common ‘issue’ with HK series.  I kind of think that HK (meaning TVB) series have a bigger problem with this than others because of the way they operate in terms of casting and availability of artists and yes, the politics.  Oh and of course, the ‘obsession’ with filming a sequel to practically every series with the same or similar cast doesn’t help either….

And finally, point #10 – another point well-made that is very true of many TVB investigative series.  In fact, I feel this type of ‘everything goes’ finale should be ranked right up there with the cheesy BBQ ending thing that TVB gets criticized about all the time (LOL).  And poor Jessica – no wonder she doesn’t want to film for TVB anymore, especially since they keep giving her the same types of roles (that also go through the same types of experiences) over and over again….

Time Out Hong Kong editorial on HKTV Launch

Here's an editorial that was published in Time Out Hong Kong today.  It talks about the HKTV launch but also gives some background on the licensing issue as well as Hong Kong's television history.  It's a nice, albeit long, article that sums things up pretty well....

By the way -- I'm currently watching both series that HKTV released (The Election and The Borderline) and am absolutely enjoying both!!  I'll probably post up some commentary about the series later on -- too busy chasing the series right now to put together anything substantial...haha!

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HKTV launches after a year of controversy

Source:  Time Out Hong Kong

Article originally published November 26, 2014

HKTV has finally made its long-awaited debut online. Arthur Tam goes outside the box and finds out what it means for the future of television in our city
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Besides being a hub for the finance, fashion and film industries over the years, Hong Kong also has a proud history in TV. The city’s thriving television scene has been an undying source of cultural influence – both locally and internationally. It’s nothing short of amazing that a small territory with a market of just seven million people can regularly produce TV shows with budgets similar to those made in the US that have a market of more than 300 million people. Ever since the conception of HK’s first free-to-air station, TVB, which launched on November 19, 1967, we’ve been producing quality programming that not only reaches local viewers but has also, over the years, expanded to audiences in Malaysia, the USA, Australia, Canada, the UK, Thailand, Singapore, Macau and New Zealand. Not bad for a TV station that, for the past 47 years, has been producing original Cantonese (only the third most widely spoken Chinese dialect) shows.

It may be a proud, colourful history but, of late, there’s been a considerable amount of public discontent aimed at TVB. Some say it’s gone stale and that shows are bland. Others claim it has a monopoly over the industry, despite the existence of stations like PCCW, i-Cable, ATV and RTHK. They say these networks can’t compete with TVB. And, to top it all off, TVB has also been criticised for self-censorship, especially in relation to its coverage of the recent heated protests.

“I would say that we are the victims of our own success,” says  TVB’s general manager SK Cheong in relation to the industry’s ‘points’ ratings. A ‘point’ represents 64,200 viewers, so a 25-point show, for example, has 1.6m viewers. “I wouldn’t say that we aren’t creative enough. We have set the bar quite high for ourselves and produce shows that we think could surpass 25 points. Before, our bar was set at 15 points. And we do try to experiment with newer shows like When Heaven Burns, which young people voted best drama of the year in 2011. However, the show didn’t surpass the 25-point benchmark and wasn’t viewed as a success by our commercial team. I personally believe we should keep producing this kind of drama but because we set our bar so high there’s a tendency to repeat old successes.”

Cheong is candid when it comes to his channel’s detractors. “Another reason for viewer criticism is because consumers’ tastes have broadened,” he says. “Hongkongers watch a lot of Korean dramas and US dramas, which they didn’t do in the past.” It’s worth noting that although Cheong has said that the bar has been raised, there were TVB dramas back in the early 2000s that received a whopping average rating of 40 points. “It’s true that ratings have dropped in recent years,” he counters. “But this is also due to the fact that people have switched to different devices for viewing. If you add it all up, there is actually an increase in viewership.”

With the stage set and audiences chomping at the bit for different entertainment options, then, it’s a perfect time for the grand entrance of HKTV. The new online-only TV channel is perceived as a shining beacon of hope for the next generation of viewers. But it wasn’t intended to be online-only. In case you’ve been living on Mars and have missed the saga, here’s a quick recap: back in 2009, HKTV chairman Ricky Wong Wai-kay applied for a free-to-air television licence but it was rejected on October 15, last year, much to his – and the general public’s – surprise. PCCW and i-Cable were, however, both granted licences. The judicial review of the decision is scheduled in the next few days but that’s irrelevant compared to the fact there’s never been a report actually explaining the rejection. Only the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Greg So Kam-leung, has revealed any sort of answer after he stated that a consultant’s report – not released to the public – claimed that Hong Kong couldn’t sustain more than four TV stations.

The days that followed last year’s rejection saw public outcry. Angry TV viewers called for the government to be transparent about its decision. An estimated 100,000 people amassed outside the Legislative Council in protest on October 20. So, not one to give up, Wong then made a move to acquire China Mobile Hong Kong for $142 million and just proceeded to forge ahead with his TV network regardless. He decided to make it online-only. And, on November 19 of this year (coincidentally, TVB’s anniversary as a business), it finally enjoyed its channel launch party. It has been airing since – and has already found a pretty relevant niche considering the recent climate in Hong Kong. It’s overcome its hurdles and succeeded against the powers that be, positioning itself in a glossy coating of hopes and dreams while sporting the feel-good slogan of ‘life is all about new beginnings’. Wong  announced at the launch party that ‘Hong Kong people and HKTV will never give up. We have to look out for our next generation and their livelihood’, words that ride on the current situation of political unrest.

“A lot of the young audience might switch to the new online channel,” says Professor Anthony Fung at CUHK’s School of Journalism and Communications. “We just did a study and we found that young audiences – born post-80s – actually spend much less time watching a TV set. In fact, 51 percent of them mentioned that they spent most of their time browsing online and streaming and not much time on traditional television. HKTV is on trend with the habits of the younger generation. The most important thing for HKTV is capital and whether advertising trends would change enough and allocate their budget to online platforms in the long-term, because that’s how they can target younger audiences.”

HKTV’s big pitch is how it’s going to change the future of TV in Hong Kong. It’s offering audiences the convenience of watching its 22 new dramas on demand. No more waiting for your show to come on – you can watch when, where and however you want. Each episode of its current batch of dramas cost around $1million to produce. It’s estimated that Wong has already invested $1billion into the company.

At 6am on November 19, HKTV uploaded crime thriller Borderline and timely political drama The Election, which follows the depiction of a 2022 election for the next Chief Executive. HKTV is hardly subtle about the progressive shows it aims to produce. “I was so surprised that within a few hours we reached 250,000 views,” Wong tells us. On top of that, a million people downloaded HKTV on their Smart TVs and mobile devices. “It’s very encouraging,” says Wong. “The success of HKTV hinges on the hope and happiness that we can bring to the Hong Kong people.” Again, this might all seem trite and over the top. But in the current political climate, HKTV is hitting on points of social change, which is likely to resonate with the public.

“If HKTV wasn’t denied its licence,” says former TVB actor-turned-HKTV actor Ai Wai, “I think there would have been fewer people at Occupy Hong Kong. It wasn’t the [entire] government that denied the licence. It was one person and we all know who that is.” Ai shifted over to HKTV along with a host of other actors from TVB. “Of course people moved,” he says. “Obviously they’re getting a better deal. But it’s also clear that one of the two companies is just for profit and the other company is for profit but also social responsibility.” Ai worked with TVB for 33 years and because of his stringent TVB contract, he claims he wasn’t allowed to take on freelance projects or work for other stations. “This is an unfair system,” he says. “I’ve been waiting a long time for a new opportunity. [HKTV] is welcome competition. This will only promote better quality shows from both sides.”

As to whether or not TVB is going to release any potentially sensitive shows, Cheong says: “If you’re talking about Occupy Hong Kong then obviously we have to be careful. In such a politically charged atmosphere we are walking a very thin line, as thin as a wire. So we’d rather not touch on the subject at this moment because there is no way to make the show unbiased. People look at things with conditioned perceptions, never with a neutral mind. I was stopped on the street by a woman from anti-occupy saying she hated TVB because we were in support of the students with our reporting [contrary to Ai’s opinion]. We will wait for things to cool down and maybe down the road we can produce shows that touch on this subject. For now TVB will continue to enhance our business model, develop in China and do a good job.”

Though netizens have done an amusing job of pitting TVB and HKTV against each other in satirical posts, perhaps their rivalry is not quite as strong as it might seem on the surface. “Existing channels are probably still going to enjoy a stable viewership because the two terrestrial TV channels – TVB and ATV – don’t have a direct competitor,” says Fung. HKTV doesn’t have a licence and PCCW and i-Cable aren’t in the position to be in the game yet. The older generation will still watch TVB and ATV, so I don’t foresee competition for at least three years.”

But how will it all be commercially sustainable? The advertising budget pie is limited. Roughly 20 percent of all ad budgets are allocated to traditional TV and, without a licence, HKTV is still at a disadvantage – particularly given Hong Kong’s small local market. The channel is nowhere near the level of fellow internet on-demand service Netflix, which accumulated major capital through its other services before beginning to produce its own original content. Wong remains optimistic, however. He has 30 advertisers already and projects that he’ll have more of in the coming months. He says he’s already struck a deal with Malaysian station Astro to distribute HKTV’s Cantonese dramas as another source of revenue. And, on top of that, HKTV is also launching an online shopping platform as a way to diversify its business.

No matter how the future of Hong Kong’s television industry plays out, the introduction of HKTV has certainly energised the city. This has already become more than just about TV. Both TVB and HKTV may, one day, meet head-to-head. And, we hope, the benefactors will surely be the viewers.  

NEWS ARTICLES: HKTV Launch

As I'm sure most of you know by now, HKTV is officially launching today in HK.  I'm super-excited about the launch and can't wait to watch their programs.

Depending on my schedule, I'll probably post some commentary about the first few episodes of HKTV's 2 series throughout this week -- meanwhile though, here are 2 articles from SCMP about HKTV's anticipated launch as well as Ricky Wong's interview with local (meaning HK) media outlets.

A few interesting things in the articles -- the one I want to point out is the airing schedule for Borderline and The Election....looks like HKTV is experimenting with different schedules for their programs (which I'm fine with as long as they are clear with when they are airing stuff so people don't miss the times).  

Though it wasn't stated in either of the 2 articles below, I had heard in a radio interview earlier today that Ricky Wong does not plan on expanding overseas because to him, HKTV is Hong Kong people's station and he still wants to focus on HK audiences first and foremost (as an overseas Hong Konger, of course I will continue to complain about this point until he decides to change his mind....).  

Anyway....here you go....

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HKTV looks to stream its way to success

Source:  South China Morning Post

Six hours of fresh programmes a day, all available on demand from early morning; that's HKTV's recipe for success in the battle to attract an audience of young, tech-savvy viewers with deep pockets.

Speaking to the Post yesterday, the new online channel's boss, Ricky Wong Wai-kay, set out his strategy ahead of its long-awaited launch tonight. Unlike a traditional station offering different programmes through the day, HKTV will follow the strategy of subscription-based foreign channels like HBO and AXN, with new programming in prime time and reruns all day.

"We are targeting a young, working population who have high consumption power," said Wong. Because this group lived a busy urban lifestyle and had little time to watch television every day, Wong said: "Two to three hours of programmes of the best quality are enough per day."

A typical night will see programmes streamed from 7pm until midnight including one hour of HKTV's self-produced programming, two hours of Korean drama, one hour of anime from Japan and one hour of shopping programmes. An hour of shopping shows will also be shown from 1pm.

But Wong says the new programmes will be available from the channel's on-demand service from 6am on the day they are due to be streamed, giving viewers flexibility in when they want to watch.

The programmes can be watched on computers or via mobile apps or set-top boxes.

The streaming kicks off at 8pm tonight, and the first night's schedule will focus on HKTV's original programming. The service begins with coverage of HKTV's launch ceremony, which takes place at the Marriott Hotel in Admiralty this afternoon.

At 8.30pm there is crime thriller Borderline, starring award-winning actor Liu Kai-chi. The first episode has already been seen by more than one million online viewers after it was posted on YouTube.

It will be followed by political drama The Election at 9.30pm. Starring Liu and award-winning actress Angelica Lee Sinje, the drama depicts a 2022 election for chief executive in which the public can vote from a list of candidates chosen by a nominating committee.

The timely political show won more than 100,000 votes to top a poll asking visitors to HKTV's website which drama should kick off its coverage.

The first episode of The Challenge, described as an "infotainment" series, begins at 10.30pm. It features actors Ai Wai, Lau Yuk-chui and Lawrence Chou Tsun-wai on an expedition into the seven-kilometre Son Doong Cave in central Vietnam.

HKTV will feature Borderline at 9pm every weeknight. The Election runs on Saturday nights while The Challenge and another infotainment programme, Gone With The Wind, run on Sundays.

Wong looked online after the government controversially rejected HKTV's bid for a free-to-air licence while approving those of two established pay-television operators, and after plans to use a mobile licence fell through on technical grounds.

But media critic Peter Lam Yuk-wah said the model Wong had come up with had a strong chance of success, pointing to the example of US on-demand television service Netflix.

"You and I don't watch six hours of TV per day," Lam said. "You create your own TV timetable around your lifestyle, not living around the TV timetable like people did in the past. People watch streaming or pre-downloaded programmes on the train now. They don't sit in front of a TV with an antenna on it."

Lam said Wong's chances of success depended on whether the infrastructure could handle the likely number of viewers - and the quality of the product.

"I hope his programmes are as good as [Wong] says."

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HOW CITY SWITCHED ON TO HKTV

January 2003: Ricky Wong Wai-kay, chairman of City Telecom (CTI), prepares to launch web-based pay-television services under his company's internet business unit, Hong Kong Broadband Network, after government says the CTI service does not need a broadcast licence because it is based on an open online platform

December 2008: Wong is named chief executive of free-to-air broadcaster ATV. He steps down after just 12 days

December 2009: CTI applies for free-to-air licence

June 2010: China Mobile Hong Kong pays HK$175 million to win bid for 15-year unified carrier licence to operate mobile television using radio spectrum

August 2011: CTI announces HK$600 million plan to build television and multimedia production centre in Tseung Kwan O

2012

April: CTI, focused on entering free-to-air television market, agrees to sell telecommunications assets for HK$5.01 billion to a company backed by British buyout firm CVC Capital Partners

December: CTI changes its name to Hong Kong Television Network and names its station HKTV

October: HKTV's application for free-to-air licence rejected, sparking a public outcry. Wong plans to lay off 320 staff

December: After buying China Mobile Hong Kong for HK$142 million, Wong says HKTV will launch internet television services from July 2014, and rehire those he fired

This year

January: Parent company China Mobile investigates HKTV's purchase of its local unit, saying it may have violated mainland rules. Wong files application for a judicial review of government's rejection of his licence application. Free-to-air broadcaster TVB announces plan to end China Mobile Hong Kong's lease on six transmission stations, putting HKTV's plans in jeopardy

March: HKTV suspends plans to launch digital television services in July and stops filming new programmes

April: HKTV submits a fresh application for a free-to-air television licence to the Communications Authority

August: The Court of First Instance hears HKTV's application for a judicial review of the government's October 2012 decision to award licences to channels run by pay-television players PCCW and iCable Communications, but not to HKTV

Today: HKTV launches internet TV services

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Ricky Wong seeks new audience as HKTV goes live

Source:  SCMP

Suddenly, Ricky Wong Wai-kay feels he knows what it is like to be heavily pregnant. After five years of struggles and detours that even saw mass protests outside government headquarters, his HKTV is born today.

The vision is somewhat different from the original plan: HKTV goes live via computers, mobile apps and set-top boxes rather than as a free-to-air television channel. But Wong still sees untapped potential outside the traditional television audience - and believes one million hits for each of his station's dramas is possible.

"If we say 20 per cent of Hong Kong's population watches [free-to-air] TVB, this means there are 80 per cent out there who are not watching TVB," Wong told the Post yesterday. An average of 1.5 million viewers watch TVB dramas, with episodes typically getting 20,000 to 70,000 hits on its online streaming service.

But Wong, who was controversially denied a free-to-air licence by the government in 2012, sparking protests, denies he is going head to head with TVB - despite the fact the launch coincides with TVB's 47th anniversary celebrations.

Instead of the housewife or the family crowded around the set, Wong sees his audience as individuals who want to control their own schedule. As well as streaming programmes on a fixed schedule, HKTV shows will be available on demand. Its website's servers can handle up to 400,000 users at once, he says

"We want to give more options to these people," he said. Citing the example of the Occupy Central protests, he added: "You can't talk to young people today in a top-down manner.

"Today's consumers are very savvy and do not listen to so-called authoritative figures. We are not aggressively imposing HKTV onto people. We share an equal footing with the audience."

Media critic Peter Lam Yuk-wah sees strong potential. As well as 2.23 million subscribers to fixed-line broadband at some of the world's fastest speeds, the city has the highest mobile phone ownership rate in the world.

HKTV has made 22 dramas so far and a number of variety shows. Wong says he has enough content to sustain the station for a year, though a decision on making more programmes will not come until next year.

The station has invested more than HK$1 billion of the HK$5 billion Wong made from selling his telecommunications empire. HKTV lost HK$163.1 million in the year ending in August, a fourfold increase on the year before.

The company will make money from advertising and from an online shopping platform to launch next month. Wong says advertising revenue has been above expectations, but viewers will decide HKTV's fate.

"HKTV belongs to the people of Hong Kong. If Hong Kong people don't care, we'd rather not do it," Wong said.

Additional Update on HKTV Launch: Series Titles, Synopsis, and Trailers ** Plot Summaries updated ***

As a follow-up to my previous post about HKTV's official launch, below are the details on the 16 series that they've released information on so far -- the information is taken directly from HKTV's website (as credited below).

Obviously HKTV's artists and production crew have been hard at work, as 16 series is actually quite a lot -- however one thing I do want to say is that I know for sure there are a few more series HKTV filmed but didn't release the trailer clips for (like that horror series starring Dominic Lam and Noelle Leung for example).  I'm actually curious to know the reason for holding back those series (perhaps further touch-up/editing is needed?).  

At any rate, I'm happy to see that HKTV is finally making some headway with their launch and sincerely hope that things will go smoothly this time around.  And I am definitely looking forward to watching a few of their series.  Even though some of the series don't interest me much (mainly because I'm not keen on the particular genre), there are quite a few that I know I will enjoy.  Besides, I absolutely appreciate the variety that HKTV has to offer, as all 16 series are completely different in terms of genre, theme, and cast to some extent, plus the creativity with some of the series such as pushing the envelope with real life surgery scenes, graphic action scenes, realistic makeup, the movie-like quality of the scenes, etc. (TVB -- are you guys taking notes????).

Ok, I'll stop the ranting now and get to the "real action"....

Enjoy!!

P.S.:  The series are not listed in any particular order.  Also, the English and Chinese titles are the "official" series titles as listed on HKTV's posters and trailer clip summaries.

P.P.S:  I'm still working through the translations on the plot summaries.  There are a few that I already translated several years back when the series commenced filming and since the summaries haven't changed, I posted those translations below.  The remaining translations will be posted by this weekend.

**** 

The Election (選戰)

Director:  Wong Kwok Keung (黃國強)

Script Supervisor:  Wong Wai Keung (黃偉強)

Cast:  Angelica Lee (李心潔), Liu Kai Chi (廖啟智), Gregory Wong (王宗堯), Samuel Kwok (郭峰), Li Ying (李影)

Plot Summary:

The Election is a series that reflects what is currently happening in society.

Each level of society has its own struggles and oftentimes, the lines between humanity, power, and self-interest can be difficult to unravel.   Lead actress Angelica Lee (李心潔) participates in the Chief Executive election bearing her husband’s mission of selfless diplomacy and constant pursuit of fairness on her shoulders.  Unfortunately, the reality of society causes her to be drawn into a complicated predicament – on one side, she must deal with internal conflicts within her team while on the other, she must fend off constant attacks from her political opponent Liu Kai Chi (廖啟智).   After enduring numerous obstacles, she discovers that it is impossible to separate friend from foe.  In that sense, the interweaving of love and hate, humanity and self-interest between the characters precisely mirrors the reality of today’s society. 

Through the [life] games people play, this series attempts to bring out the repulsive as well as radiant extremes of human nature.

Night Shift (夜班)

Director:  Luk Tin Wah (陸天華)

Creative Producer:  Choi Suk Yan (蔡淑賢)

Script Supervisor:  Alex Pau (鮑偉聰)

Cast:  Frankie Lam (林文龍), Dominic Lam (林嘉華), Kathy Yuen (湯怡), Samuel Kwok (郭鋒), Sin Ho Ying (冼灝英), Philip Keung (姜皓文), Luvin Ho (菁瑋), Wu Kwing Lung (胡烱龍), Kong Fai (江暉), Rachel Lam (林熹瞳), Crystal Leung (梁寶琪), Bryant Mak (麥子樂), Eva Chan (陳詩慧), Chow Tsz Lung (周子龍)

Plot Summary:

A series filmed entirely at night, the entire story begins in the darkness and ends in the darkness.

The story links together the experiences of several E.U. assault team members working different night shifts.  During their shifts, they already encounter all kinds of unfathomable dangers and challenges, but the true test of their endurance lies in the endless temptations that they face in the darkness of the night.  With their willpower slowly weakening as the night wears on, their self-protection and restraint are also in danger of suffering serious blows.

Night – mysterious, beautiful, yet full of danger.  In an environment lacking self-control and discipline where the barriers against the forbidden are lowered and the dividing line from temptation could be easily crossed, the results can be devastating.

Hidden Faces (三面形醫)

Director:  Kwan Shu Ming  (關樹明)

Script Supervisor:  Choi Ting Ting (蔡婷婷)

Cast:  Frankie Lam (林文龍), John Chiang (姜大衛), Wilson Tsui (艾威), Kate Yeung (楊淇), Sam Chan (陳宇琛), Leanne Ho (何思諺), Lesley Chiang (姜麗文), Rain Lau (劉玉翠 ), Benji Chiang (姜文杰), Queenie Chan (陳莉敏), Rachel Lam (林熹瞳), Yan Ng (吳日言), Maria Chen (陳霽平), Philip Keung (姜皓文)

Plot Summary:

Humans are naturally born to love beauty. Alot of people put on makeup, do beauty treatments, some even opt for plastic surgery -- but there are probably not many people who are willing to look directly into a mirror and comfortably, naturally, peel away their glamorous 'outer skin' and reveal the rawest, most hidden side of themselves. That's why all along, doctors are only able to heal our physical bodies, but not our hearts. Ultimately, the 'root cause' of alot of illnesses does not stray far from what we call 'humanity' (renxing)!

Utilizing the story of a plastic surgeon joining a franchised medical treatment conglomerate as basis and adding in a 'discussion' of a few recent controversial 'hot topics', the series will attempt to critique the value system of mainstream modern society in the hopes of inspring the general public to reflect on the definition of 'beauty' and how it relates to their own value system. At the same time, it hopes to be the 'voice' for different levels of people in society and thereby resonate with audiences.

Beyond the Rainbow (歲月樓情)

Director:  Wong Kwok Keung (黃國強)

Script Supervisor:  Leung Man Wah (梁敏華)

Cast:  Ha Yu (夏雨), Paw Hee Ching (鮑起靜), Felix Wong (黃日華), Leila Tong (唐寧), Emily Kwan (關寶慧), Philip Keung (姜皓文), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Lam Lei (林利)

Plot Summary: 

Comprised of best actor and best actress caliber artists, the cast brings to life a story spanning 30 years that takes place amidst the background of a public housing complex.  The series bears witness to how ordinary, working class citizens rely on their unyielding persistence and “never give up” attitude to endure through hardships and eventually build up a stable family unit.  

Same blue sky, countless family units -- as long as the starting point is a happy, healthy, stable family unit, everyone has the chance to live a fulfilling, brilliant life, and over the flow of time, leave behind footprints that bear witness to the life stories of various peoples.

Borderline (警界線)

Director:  Peter So (蘇萬聰)

Script Supervisor:  Chu King Kei (朱鏡祺)

Cast:  Liu Kai Chi (廖啟智), Dominic Lam (林嘉華), Leila Tong (唐寧), Lawrence Chou (周俊偉), Joman Chiang (蔣祖曼), Annie Liu (廖安麗), Philip Keung (姜皓文), Crystal Leung (梁寶琪), Lui Hei (呂熙), Deno Cheung (張松枝), Lam Lei (林利), Mo Lian Yu (余慕蓮)

Plot Summary:

Having a clear separation between black and white, placing heavy emphasis on discipline – both are the most important ‘boundaries’ for a cop. But if those boundaries are broken through and cops collaborate with crooks, the investigative process as well as the probability of cracking the case becomes limitlessly greater. A 12 year undercover agent living on the edge, a hot-tempered cop who once broke out of jail after he was framed for crime, a ‘King of Robbers’ who was once jailed for a crime he didn’t commit and now specializes in robbing crooks, a ‘spinster’ female cop who had never fired a single shot in her life and relies on her wits as well as life experiences to ‘figure out’ criminals, a fugitive from the law who is obsessed with female cops but always puts righteousness ahead of all else, and finally a high-ranking female officer who is also a military weapons expert – together, they will match wits as well as match strength. Out of this will come not only love, hate, and sparks, it will also break all boundaries – joining forces to crack cold cases and locate criminals, it creates an entirely different battlefield. Through blood, tears, life, and death, these most ‘hot-blooded’ of cops and criminals manifest the brilliance of human nature, leaving behind one touching, heart-stopping story after another.

The Menu (導火新聞線)

Director:  Fong Chun Wah (方俊華)

Creative Producer:  Lam Siu Chi (林少枝)

Script Supervisor:  Poon Man Hung (潘漫紅)

Cast:  Noelle Leung (梁小冰), Catherine Chau (周家怡), Kate Yeung (楊淇), Gregory Wong (王宗堯), Shek Sau (石修), Benji Chiang (姜文杰), Samuel Kwok (郭峰), Felix Lok (駱應鈞), Dexter Young (楊天經), Anita Chan (陳穎妍), Lee Fung (李風), Brian Wong (黃澤鋒), Meiki Wong (黃美棋)

Plot Summary:

Supervising and maintaining an orderly society has always been a responsibility that the Media should partake in and support –however, the perception of the news media is oftentimes synonymous with the promotion of violence, sex, bloodiness, and overall havoc in society.  The series will revolve around 3 female news agency workers with very different philosophies on life who, in efforts to gather material for publication of their free newspaper Smart Post (囧報), engage in nearly daily arguments and conflicts.  The chief editor of the newspaper is a woman driven by profit who does not hesitate in publishing unscrupulous, sensationalist reports, even if it means sacrificing moral reporting standards and ethics.  At the same time, the agency’s supervisory staff and reporters are filled with an almost patriotic desire to make the voices of the weak and vulnerable in society heard loud and clear, while simultaneously bringing to light society’s many injustices.  In the face of reality – that is, a commercialized society and the injustices that go along with it -- a newspaper that even those in the same industry look down upon, continues to persevere;  ultimately motivated by different goals, its staff continues to struggle daily to reveal – and, in some cases, hide – the truth.  In such a pressure-filled environment, how will the news agency’s staff uphold righteousness while at the same time protect their own reporting aspirations?

P.4B (四年B班)

Director:  So Ka Man (蘇嘉敏)

Creative Producer:  Lam Siu Chi (林少枝)

Script Supervisor:  Yuen Mei Fung (阮美鳳)

Cast:  Sam Chan (陳宇琛), Joman Chiang (蔣祖曼), Samuel Kwok (郭鋒), Crystal Leung (梁寶琪)

Plot Summary:

Matters that seem trivial in the eyes of adults are oftentimes matters of utmost importance in children’s hearts.   This series looks at the vast world we live in through the eyes of children and show how they follow their pure yet determined hearts to realize these important ‘trivial’ matters.  In doing so, they also attempt to help the adults in their lives understand that they shouldn’t try to force their own methods on their children – instead they should allow children their freedom to let their own dreams soar!

The story revolves around a group of fourth year elementary school students who are on the brink of entering a higher grade level, yet lack the independence to truly think on their own.  In these students’ lives, things happen that often render adults helpless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, yet at the same time, have the ability to move people’s hearts with their sincerity and innocence.

Sexpedia (大眾情性)

Director:  Wong Wing Shan (黃頴珊)

Script Supervisor:  Cheung Tze Yan (張之彥), Sin Siu Ling (冼少玲)

Cast:  Jason Chan (陳柏宇), Joman Chiang (蔣祖曼), Alan Luk (陸駿光), Meiki Wong (黃美棋), Jan Tse (謝芷倫), Cherry Pau (鮑康兒), Lui Hei (呂熙)

Plot Summary: 

Sex is definitely a very complicated learning experience.  With all the complexities involved – such as communication between two individuals, a couple’s preferences and inclinations, concerns amongst family members, one’s philosophy on life, etc. – we definitely shouldn’t underestimate the impact that “sex” has on people’s lives and the importance it bears.

Sexpedia is a series that uses real life cases as a blueprint to bring out the story of 3 main characters who have very distinct personalities but undergo similarly “unusual” experiences:  one character is a male virgin who, after being oppressed his entire life, deeply believes that he only has one chance in life to make love to a woman; another character is a female who thinks that having a sexual impediment means that she is not worthy of being loved; the third is a divorced male who is overly confident about his sexual experience, yet actually knows nothing about how to please a woman. 

The stories of these 3 characters weave together in this romantic comedy that takes a daring, brazen yet light-hearted and humorous approach to draw audiences into an intimate discussion about sex and love.

Doom+5 (末日+5)

Director:  Wong Kwok Keung (黃國強)

Script Supervisor:  Wong Wai Keung (黃偉強)

Cast:  Sunny Chan (陳錦鴻), Philip Keung (姜皓文), Poon Chan Leung (潘燦良), Mimi Kung (龔慈恩), Gregory Wong (王宗堯), Alan Luk (陸駿光)

Plot Summary:

January 23rd, 2015.  While all of Hong Kong’s 8 million citizens are still immersed in their own thoughts of whether the stock market will achieve a new high, still continuing to struggle over whether their love relationships will blossom, still striving and persevering in their daily jobs, 5 ordinary citizens – strangers who have nothing to do with one another – discover the same secret that the government has been hiding:  at 11:45pm that night, the world will come to an end and no one will be spared!   When people discover that they must start ‘counting down’ to the end of their lives and there are only 15 hours to live, will they descend into desperation or will they be consumed with sheer madness?!?!

Doom+5 is a series comprised of 5 individual stories entitled: Promise (承諾), Monica, Derailment (出軌), Resurrection (復活), Police Uniform (警服).   In the last 15 hours of their lives, each character rediscovers a hidden secret about themselves previously unknown to anyone.

Incredible Mama (我阿媽係黑玫瑰)

Director:  Au Yiu Hing  (歐耀興)

Script Supervisor:  Yip Sai Hong (葉世康)

Cast:  Kara Hui (惠英紅), John Chiang (姜大衛), Sam Chan (陳宇琛), Meiki Wong (黃美棋), Carlos Chan (陳家樂), Mannor Chan (陳曼娜), Mimi Kung (龔慈恩), Adrian Wong (黃芷晴), Kathy Yuen (湯怡), Bak Biu (白彪), Luvin Ho (菁瑋), Mason Chiu (趙敏通), Cheng Ka Sheng (鄭家生), Hui Ming Chi (許明志)

Plot Summary:

Seven-time Best Actress winner Kara Hui (惠英紅) stars in this family action comedy.  The series talks about famous female heroine Black Rose (黑玫瑰) who decides to give up her lifestyle performing chivalrous deeds in order to take care of her family.   However, not knowing about her past, her children see her as a weak and timid ‘little woman’ who has no regard for righteousness.  It’s not until later on, when her children learn about their mother’s true identity that they start to truly “know” their mother and begin to understand her efforts.

Paranormal Mind (開腦儆探)

Director:  Lau Shun On (劉順安)

Creative Producer:  Lau Choi Wan (劉彩雲)

Cast:  Felix Wong (黃日華), Sam Lee (李璨琛), Grace Huang (黃芝琪), Kelvin Kwan (關楚耀), Adrian Wong (黃芷晴), Anita Chan (陳穎妍), Lo Hoi Pang (盧海鵬), Kathy Yuen (湯怡), Lo Hei Loi (盧希萊), Crystal Leung (梁寶琪), Dominic Lam (林嘉華), Lam Lei (林利), Carlos Koo (古天祥), Janice Ting (丁樂鍶), Bryant Mak (麥子樂)

Plot Summary:

Paranormal Mind is a supernatural-themed detective series – however the ‘supernatural’ won’t be the traditional ghosts and spirits-theme that audiences are used to seeing. Rather, it will utilize ‘super’ scientific concepts as well as realistic methods to investigate a variety of mysterious, unusual cases. The series will revolve around the main character Hung Gei Yuen (Felix Wong) -- a former high-ranking police inspector who, after being traumatized by the mysterious death of his son, acquires the hidden ability to capture and enter other people’s subconscious, as he deeply believes that his son was actually murdered in the ‘inner confines of the subconscious’! At the same time, he starts to display signs of having a split personality and works hard to study about the ‘hidden subconscious’ in the hopes of one day finding his son’s killer.

Each main character in this series will have some sort of ‘hidden ability’ that makes them different from other people. Even though each of them will have a ‘regrettable flaw’ and perhaps even be viewed by society as being ‘abnormal’ or ‘weird’, this does not affect their self-esteem. In fact, they are able to turn this ‘regrettable flaw’ into a ‘hidden ability’ and use it to help them solve many mysterious cases.

Second Life (第二人生)

Director:  Chan Sam Hap (陳新俠)

Script Supervisor:  Lee Yi Wah (李綺華), Suen Ho Ho (孫浩浩)

Wilfred Lau (劉浩龍), Terence Yin (尹子維), Joey Tang (鄧建明), Patrick Lui (雷有暉), Bondy Chiu (趙學而), Ann Ho (何紫綸), Maria Chen (陳霽平), Anita Chan (陳穎妍, ), Samuel Kwok (郭鋒), Bonnie Wong (黃文慧), Wong Ching (王青), Mannor Chan (陳曼娜)

Plot Summary: 

After living for several decades, when one has reached middle age, we start to complain about the pressures and failures that we’ve experienced and regret those ‘missed opportunities’ from the past. But for someone who doesn’t have any dreams or aspirations, what is the point of living a life of such uselessness? The series will explore how the main characters, while going through a low period in their lives, will encounter a situation that gives them the opportunity to change history – however, once the history is changed, they discover that their lives did not become better than it was before. This makes them realize that instead of constantly fretting about the past, why not seize the opportunities they have presently and live life to the fullest?

To Be or Not To Be (來生不做香港人)

Director:  Luk Tin Wah (陸天華)

Creative Producer:  Choi Suk Yan (蔡淑賢)

Script Supervisor:  Alex Pau (鮑偉聰)

Cast:  Maggie Cheung ( 張可頤), Prudence Liew (劉美君), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Poon Chan Leung (潘燦良), Lam Lei (林利), Zac Koo (高皓正), Tse Yuet Mei (謝月美), Mimi Kung (龔慈恩), Wilson Tsui (艾威), Fung So Bor (馮素波), Ng Wai Shan (伍慧珊), Queena Chan (陳丹丹)

Plot Summary

Through the reunion of 2 biological sisters who bring with them years of resentment and grievances, this series attempts to show the subtle changes in the relationship between Hong Kong and Mainland China over the past 30 years.

Blood is thicker than water -- no matter how unwilling, this is a fact that cannot be changed.  Amidst the rise of a powerful nation (China), what role should Hong Kongers play?  In your next life, would you still want to be a Hong Konger?   Seeing all the problems in society currently, how much of it can be resolved with money?  With the ultimate goal of Hong Kong and Mainland co-existing in harmony, how much of their core intrinsic values will Hong Kongers be able to uphold?

Love in Time (還來得及再愛你)

Director:  Fong Chun Wah (方俊華)

Script Supervisor:  Lam Siu Chi (林少枝)

Cast:  Danson Tang (唐禹哲), Michelle Wai (詩雅), Terence Yin (尹子維), Sherming Yiu (姚樂怡), Charles Ying (應昌佑), Kathy Yuen (湯怡), Chan On Ying (陳安瑩), Carlos Chan (陳家樂), Sin Ho Ying (冼灝英), Bond Chan (陳少邦), Rachel Lam (林熹瞳), Wong Ho Ting (黃浩霆)

Plot Summary:

This series’ 224 year old male protagonist has been guarding a painful past relationship for over 200 years.  As a young man growing up in a local village, he once endured tremendous tragedy that changed his life forever:   all the villagers – including the woman he loved – are killed by a demon; he is the lone survivor, saved by a blood-sucking baron.   Though alive, his broken heart is sealed in ice – despite the pain, he is unable to cry.  That is, until he meets the lively, energetic, and optimistic female protagonist who eventually melts his heart.  But one problem still exists – the male will never die, while the female will eventually see the end of her life.  Can this relationship truly be a match made in Heaven, or an example of Providence playing a trick on mankind?

Once Upon a Song (童話戀曲201314)

Director:  Wong Kwok Keung (黃國強)

Script Supervisor:  Leung Man Wah (梁敏華)

Cast:  William So (蘇永康), Bernice Liu (廖碧兒), Kelvin Kwan (關楚耀), Evelyn Choi (蔡穎恩), Jason Chan (陳柏宇), Kate Yeung (楊淇), Shek Sau (石修), Mimi Kung (龔慈恩), Lisa Lui (呂有慧), Wilson Tsui (艾威), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Rain Lau (劉玉翠), Benji Chiang (姜文杰), Lesley Chiang (姜麗文)

Plot Summary:

In our childhood, most of us probably fantasized about being the prince or princess from those fairytale stories we often listened to; once grown up however, we realize that we can only be ‘ordinary’ people living in the real world.   Choosing a girlfriend involves considering certain external factors while the primary criteria in choosing a boyfriend is that he must own a house, a car, and have a stable career.  Thinking on a deeper level, does anyone follow the dreams in their hearts anymore?

This series’ love story revolves around a young CEO played by Kelvin Kwan (關楚耀) and his relationship with female leads Kate Yeung (楊淇) and Evelyn Choi (蔡穎恩) – add to this the talent of singer William So (蘇永康), whose singing voice accompanies the entire story.  With a portion of the filming completed on location in Okinawa, Japan, this series brings together elements of music, dance, and acting into a musical ensemble drama that is definitely worthy of anticipation!

The Wicked League (惡毒老人同盟)

Director:  Kwan Shu Ming  (關樹明)

Creative Producer:  Choi Suk Yan (蔡淑賢)

Script Supervisor:  Alex Pau (鮑偉聰)

Cast:  John Chiang (姜大衛), Yuen Wah (元華), Samuel Kwok (郭鋒), Bak Biu (白彪), Peter Lai (黎彼德), Lee Fung (李風), Fung So Bor (馮素波), Tse Yuet Mei (謝月美), Cheng Shu Fung (鄭恕峰), Wong Ching (王青), Bonnie Wong (黃文慧)

Plot Summary:

As the saying goes: “having an elder at home is a treasure to the family”.  However, in reality, many elderly are oftentimes targets of discrimination.  The 5 main elderly characters in this series are the epitome of this, as they are constantly looked down upon by their family, friends, and even co-workers.  During a chance encounter, the 5 of them come together and decide to ‘take revenge’ on all those who’ve looked down upon them, so they join forces to form “The Wicked League”.

This series utilizes light-hearted black humor to bring forth some of the problems and challenges that the elderly face in today’s society, with the hope that audiences can develop a better understanding of the elderly in their own lives and treat them better.