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.
