News Article: Hong Kong’s top TV channels ranked – Media Report 2017

I came across the below article that recaps the top TV channels in Hong Kong based on a Marketing survey..  Details of the survey (including criteria, how it was conducted, number of responses, etc.) are all recapped at the beginning of the article.

I'm actually super-surprised to see ViuTV in the number one spot!  Since they launched last year, I always felt that they had a niche audience, since their programs and the station itself is not covered much in traditional / mainstream media outlets…but I guess advertisers think differently.  In a way, this is a good thing because it means that advertisers are not being biased toward TVB like almost everyone else in HK is and they are willing to put their support behind underdogs that have potential.  Actually, on second thought, I really shouldn't be surprised, since advertisers had already said previously (back when HKTV was still in the picture) that many in their field are tired of TVB's "same old same old" approach and are willing to put their money into other stations that show potential.  This is partly why Ricky Wong was never worried about whether he would get advertising support if HKTV were to get a license and officially launch...I vaguely remember (would need to pull my notes to confirm) that the advertising association in HK (of which almost all advertising firms were a part of) had released a statement back then that they would commit advertising to HKTV if they were to launch (since that was a huge concern back then due to TVB constantly crying a river over advertising revenue dropping).  [Sidenote – I've actually been keeping an eye on ViuTV the past year and while they got off to a rocky start due to their initially upside down policy of only doing infotainment programs rather than series, they've definitely turned things around in recent months with the focus on producing series rather than only infotainment programs.  While I doubt that they will be the next HKTV, it's good to see that ViuTV is finally coming into its own…though of course, it has a LONG ways to go to catch up to TVB…]

The other shocker for me was seeing TVMost on this list (they came in at #8) – for a non-official TV station whose sole purpose is to parody other stations / programs / people, etc., that's actually quite an achievement!  [Shout out to sport3888:  I'm sure you must be grinning from ear to ear right now!  LOL!]

The other interesting part is that ViuTV made the list, but their parent company, cable channel NowTV, didn't make the cut at all, which in a way I'm not too surprised about since there have been complaints galore about NowTV over the past few years (I can't remember whether it was Alan Tam or Hacken Lee who always used to complain on Weibo about NowTV because they carry a lot of sports events and the reception was always super poor quality….I've heard that people were actually happy to cancel their subscriptions at one point).  

Anyway…check out who else made the top 10.  Did any of these rankings shock you?  Feel free to comment down below. 

**Note:  My apologies for not putting the pictures from the article up – I'm posting this from my phone and the process to post pictures is super cumbersome.  If I remember, I'll fix the post when I'm able to access from a computer…otherwise, if you want to see the pictures, you can read the article from its original source via the link below.

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Hong Kong's top TV channels ranked – Media Report 2017

Source:  Marketing Interactive

http://www.marketing-interactive.com/hong-kongs-top-tv-channels-ranked-media-report-2017/

Each year Marketing undertakes one of its most significant research projects to discover the media preferences of Hong Kong's top marketers.

The aim of the Media Benchmarking Survey is pretty simple; to understand which media platforms marketers look to for advertising solutions across digital, outdoor, TV, radio and print platforms.

We ask respondents to name the magazine, TV station, digital platform or OOH groups they would use to target consumers across key industry verticals from luxury, local business and finance, news and current affairs, property, travel and consumer electronics.

This article we highlight the top 10 in TV broadcasters.

Methodology

How did we achieve this?

The media rankings were derived from questions in Marketing Research's annual Media Spend Benchmarking Survey. Marketing Research employed an online questionnaire and surveyed its database of client advertisers and marketing services agency professionals. All answers given by respondents were considered by Marketing when finalising the rankings.

Quality recipients and respondents

A total of 587 respondents participated in the Media Spend Benchmarking Survey. Genuine advertising decision-makers and influencers across key agency-using industries were well represented as were agency professionals from various marketing services.

Over 80% of client advertiser-side respondents were manager-level decision-makers and above, with 10% from the most senior ranks of client advertisers – CEOs, MDs or GMs – and another 31% were VPs or director-level marketers.

Twenty percent of the respondents from the agency side were CEOs, MDs or GMs, 30% were marketing personnel, while 25% were sales personnel. The remaining 25% were operations, creative and media personnel.

Advertisers from major and local international banks, FMCG companies, property and construction, IT and telecommunication firms, as well as those from travel and tourism companies participated in the survey. Agency professionals across the marketing services spectrum were also well represented.

Television Broadcasters of the Year

1 ViuTV

Currently in its second year of operation, ViuTV has taken the TV world by storm as it now leads the category for local marketers. The channel operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and its English arm ViuTVsix offers 17 hours of programming per day, including three to four hours of news and public affairs, lifestyle, overseas dramas and documentaries, such as HBO originals True Blood and Boardwalk Empire.

The channel's rapid rise to fame did not go unnoticed, as it swiped up numerous at Marketing's The Spark Awards 2017, including gold awards for Fast Growth, Best Launch/Relaunch and Best Engagement Strategy, as well as silver awards in Best Entertainment Platform and Best Use of Content.

2 TVB

While TVB slipped to second place this year – in no small part due to the entry of a new local challenger – it still managed to keep a spot in the top three on the year of its 50th anniversary. To better compete with the rise of streaming services, TVB launched its own social live streaming app dubbed 'Big big channel' in a bid to engage younger, internet-savvy viewers and generate more ad revenue – a move that has clearly paid off, especially considering the modern TV landscape.

3 Bloomberg

After a slide to sixth spot last year, Bloomberg is back in the top three. Headquartered in New York, USA, and a division of Bloomberg LP, the news agency covers international news, disseminated through television, terminals, radio, markets, the Bloomberg website, Bloomberg's mobile platforms and Businessweek.

While their digital offering is comprehensive, they haven't forgotten about traditional formats and recently opened a new TV studio in Hong Kong to enhance the brand's media technology assets, which will produce programmes covering all of Asia.

4 BBC

Down one spot since last year, the UK-headquartered public service broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has strengthened its mobile and online offerings to facilitate changing tastes. While its World Service radio broadcast was recently replaced on RTHK, the TV side is still going strong.

5 CNN

CNN likewise slid down one spot in the rankings this year. Staffed 24 hours, seven days a week by a staff both in CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and in global bureaus, the broadcaster boasts a global team of almost 4,000 news professionals, and has recently expanded its presence in Hong Kong, when it appointed Karen Vera as creative lead for in-house brand studio Create, Asia Pacific.

6 Cable TV

Cable TV has been on a gradual descent over the past few years, and 2017 was no exception as it dropped from fifth place into sixth.

With the uncertain future of i-CABLE Communications Limited' TV offerings earlier this year, i-CABLE announced that Forever Top (Asia) Limited had become a controlling shareholder and injected new funds into the business last month. Additionally, the board underwent a number of changes as the company enters its next phase of development. New offerings include over 200 live games from German soccer league Bundesliga.

7 CNBC

CNBC enters the list this year, with a strong financial backbone to support it. CNBC is one of the world's largest business and financial networks. With international headquarters in Singapore in London, CNBC provides comprehensive 24-hour coverage from Asia to America, and beyond. In addition to the television services, CNBC is also available on tablet, mobile and desktop via CNBC.com and its apps.

8 TVMost

Satirical magazine 100most's TV service, while wholly offline, has grabbed enough marketshare for marketers to list it among the region's top TV channels. The channel provides satirical news services, often parodising existing programmes and channels to present the latest news in an entertaining and humourous way, presented by a slew of local celebrities.

Its Chinese slogan is: "Do our best instead of not having a TV licence issued by the government" – roughly translated to "Doing our best, despite the lack of a TV licence".

9 RTHK

Hong Kong's public broadcasting service Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) keeps its spot in ninth place this year. The service operates seven radio channels, and three TV channels, and produces educational, entertainment and public affairs programmes that are also broadcast on commercial channels. RTHK, like many public broadcasters, is directly funded by annual government allocation and operates as a department of the Communications Authority, but maintains a strong reputation for impartial coverage and editorial independence.

10 Fox

CBS Corporation earlier this year announced a content licensing and trademark agreement for SHOWTIME in South East Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The agreement brought the SHOWTIME brand to these markets for the first time, including international hits like Twin Peaks, Californication and Dexter.

HK Television Wars - newest update

As further followup to my previous 2 posts about the "HK television wars" and the state of the television industry, I wanted to share the latest "hot off the press" news about something I had mentioned in those posts:  the fate of i-Cable.

As previously stated, i-Cable's parent company Wharf Holdings had announced that they were no longer going to invest any more funds in the company, which meant the fate of the station's cable network as well as newly acquired free-to-air TV network hung in the balance.  There had been rumors that Forever Top's David Chiu -- who had already submitted an application for a free-to-air license and was still awaiting the government's decision -- was interested in buying the station.  This rumor went on for weeks and now finally, it has been confirmed.  David Chiu has agreed to invest funds in i-Cable, which means he will own about half the company and therefore become a decision-maker in the station.  The article below has more details, so I would say go ahead and read it, but one thing I found interesting that I wanted to point out was the fact that David Chiu stated he already told the government to put his free-to-air license application on hold until they sort everything out with i-Cable.  This actually makes perfect sense, since i-Cable already has a free-to-air license so if he takes over the station, he essentially won't need another one, though not sure at this point what he plans to do with Forever Top -- it sounds to me that both will function as separate entities, but right now, it's kind of too early to tell.  I guess we still have a few weeks to find out, as I'm assuming that there will be a little more clarity by the time i-Cable's free-to-air channel Fantastic TV launches on May 14th.

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News article:  i-Cable down 21 pc despite white knights ride to rescue with plans for expansion

Source: SCMP

Troubled pay-television provider i-Cable Communications dropped 21 per cent on Friday morning as it resumed trading after announcing that it had found a white knight.

Shares of i-Cable dived to 46 Hong Kong cents shortly after market open, down 21 per cent from its previous close of 61 Hong Kong cents. The company had suspended trading for three days pending the release of an announcement that involves “inside information”. By 10am, shares had erased some losses and fallen 13 per cent to 53 Hong Kong cents.

The decline came after i-Cable announced Thursday night that it had been rescued by a consortium of white knights led by property tycoon David Chiu Tat-cheong together with New World Development chairman Henry Cheng Kar-shun and others, who plan to use the broadcaster as a foundation on which to build a new media company.

“The share price dropped as the market is not sure if the HK$1 billion injection is sufficient to help with a turnaround for i-Cable, which has suffered losses for many years. In addition, the rescue plan involves right issues which require existing shareholders to pay for the offer of shares. That is not welcomed by investors,” said Ben Kwong Man-bun, director of KGI Asia.

But Kwong said the future share price of the company should become more stable with the help of the white knight.

“It all depends on what the next business plan of the new buyers will be. If the white knight has a good development plan for i-Cable, it would be positive for the future of the company.”

In a statement late on Thursday, Forever Top said it had agreed on a deal with i-Cable’s parent, Wharf (Holdings), for an equity injection of HK$1 billion to strengthen the broadcaster’s financial position.

In addition to Chiu, other backers of the consortium include New World Development chairman Henry Cheng Kar-shun, Guangzhou R&F Properties chairman Li Sze-lim, John Zhao Huan, president of private equity firm Hony Capital, and conglomerate Chow Tai Fook Enterprises.

Chiu is the second son of Deacon Chiu Te-ken, who founded ATV, the free-to-air broadcaster that went off the air in May 2016.

Under the agreement, about HK$704 million will come from an open offer to existing shareholders, fully underwritten by Forever Top. A further HK$300 million will come from the conversion of debt due to Wharf into an equity stake in i-Cable.

An open offer allows existing qualifying shareholders to increase their stake in the company.

According to a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange, five shares will be offered for every three existing shares held by qualifying shareholders at 21 HK cents each.

Following completion of the offer, Forever Top will hold 40 to 54 per cent of i-Cable’s issued share capital, depending on the take-up of the offer by the public shareholders.

“Upon completion of the transaction, Forever Top will use i-Cable as the platform to drive its media business,” Chiu said in the statement.

“Hong Kong has been known as Hollywood of the Orient and I believe television talent, whether back-stage or front-stage, are abundant here. I am hoping that all these talent will be given the chance to bring into play in the most flexible manner of co-operation with i-Cable.”

He also said Forever Top would strive to strengthen the scope of financial news in the region as well.

The announcement comes just in time to save i-Cable and its 2,176 employees from the axe.

Last year, i-Cable made a loss of HK$313 million and Wharf had indicated it would cease funding the broadcaster and exit the unprofitable business of providing pay television and broadband internet.

The Communications Authority had said i-Cable must fulfil its financial responsibilities before its pay-television licence matured on May 31.

“With the new equity injection, i-Cable’s capital structure and operation outlook will be significantly improved – increased equity, reduced debt and possibly expanded services,” Chiu said.

Forever Top, which had previously applied for a domestic free-television licence, said in the statement that it had requested the Communications Authority put on hold the processing of this application until the outcome of the equity injection into i-Cable became clearer.

The injection plan will require approvals from the independent shareholders of i-Cable, the Securities and Futures Commission, the Hong Kong stock exchange and the Communications Authority.

Forever Top said it hoped the deal would be completed in September.

Trading in i-Cable’s shares was suspended on Tuesday, pending the result of an announcement.

In a statement to the stock exchange, the firm said it had applied for trading to be resumed from 9.30am on Friday.

HK Television Wars -- more updates

I wanted to do a quick follow up to my post from last month about the state of the HK television industry as of late, as there were some new developments this week that have the potential to change the landscape of the television industry going into the second half of the year.

1)      The fate of i-Cable:  I had mentioned in the previous post about i-Cable giving back their broadcast spectrum to the government and questioned why they would do that if they still plan on operating.  Well, my question has been answered now, as last week, i-Cable's parent company Wharf Holdings announced that they will be backing out from the media business and will no longer be providing funding to i-Cable.  This decision stemmed primarily from the billions of dollars in losses that the pay TV arm of i-Cable racked up, plus the decline in ad revenue, which has made the pay TV market unsustainable (note that TVB also shut down their pay TV division last year and returned their pay license to the government, so obviously there are issues all around on the pay TV front).  The fate of i-Cable is up in the air at the moment, as they are hiring a financial advisor and going through their current cash reserves to see how much money they have right now and whether that is enough to keep the station running.  No one is willing to commit to anything publicly at the moment, but based on all the facts and numbers, the prognosis looks bleak.  Basically, there is a 99.9%  chance that i-Cable is going to give its pay TV license back to the government, but whether the company will have to shut down completely or not remains to be seen.

Of course, I'm sure you've figured out by now that this is going to impact the free-to-air TV license that i-Cable received last year.  Though their free TV arm Fantastic Television is scheduled to launch in May, there is now talk that it might or might not happen anymore.  Based on all the reports that have come out, everything will depend on what happens once the financial advisor goes through numbers and also whether they will be able to find a new financial backer willing to invest in them, as i-Cable needs to figure out whether they will have enough funds to fulfill the terms of the license (which requires them to commit to investing X amount of dollars for X number of years to maintain programming content).  If getting rid of the pay TV arm means that they can take all those funds and throw them into the free TV arm, then they might still be able to keep things going…however it doesn't look likely given that the company is already millions of dollars in the hole due to all the losses.  For me, this statement from i-Cable's chairman and chief executive Stephen Ng (as quoted from this SCMP article) says it all:  "We have three [broadcast] licenses, including the new one to be awarded by the government.  We are now considering whether or not to accept the new license and how to deal with the existing licenses."

2)      Forever Top consortium – coincidentally, David Chiu held a press conference a couple days ago and confirmed that the "restructuring" of their company is complete now so they have reinstated their application for a free-to-air license.  From what I understand based on what was stated in the press con (need to wait for the official reports to come out for actual terminology), the restructuring that took place was basically the consortium replacing their primary investor from a Mainland company to one that is based in Hong Kong.  The reason for this is because of the stipulation in the free TV license rules that foreign investors are not allowed to involve themselves in the day to day operations of the free-to-air TV station in any capacity whatsoever.  Sounds like David Chiu was playing it safe and didn't want this to affect his chances for a license, which in a way, is a smart move given what happened to ATV and what ultimately led that station to shut down after 59 years of existence (I'm sure no one needs to be reminded of the damage that Mainland investor Wong Ching did to ATV).  So basically, Forever Top is back in the game now and has confidently expressed that they are pretty sure about their chances for being granted a free-to-air TV license.  David Chiu also said that he expects the government to make a decision "very soon."  

Hmmm….ok, well, the "mystery" over Forever Top's sudden suspension of their license application has been solved now but I'm honestly not sure whether I should feel good about this or not.  I'm still not convinced that Forever Top will have a positive impact on the HK television market and to me, I don't see a difference between them and all the other media companies that are now trying to infiltrate the Asian entertainment market (more on this later).  I remember David Chiu saying back when he first submitted his application that if the government did not make a decision on the licenses within 6 months (or was it 3 months?  Can't remember the actual timeframe off the top of my head), he would rescind his application, as he does not have time to wait several years and will put his resources elsewhere instead.  This was what, like 3 years ago?  And obviously the government still has not made their decision yet.  So then David Chiu changed his mind and decided he DOES have time to wait after all?  Or was that "threat" his way of trying to strong arm the government into giving him a license?  By now, I'm pretty sure you guys understand why I don't feel good about this company (David Chiu and his consortium) at all.

3)       Last but not least – TVB.  I don't have a whole lot more to add from what I wrote in my previous post other than a "warning" to TVB that they better step up their game – and sooner rather than later.  Here's why:

-          ViuTV announced last week that they will be revamping their business model and have been given the green light (by their top execs) to invest in the production of more TV series.  So instead of focusing on reality-based variety shows (which is what they've been doing this past year since launching in April 2016) and only churning out 1 or 2 original series every couple months,  they will now be producing their own series on a consistent basis and airing them nightly (versus once or twice a week like they did previously).  I personally feel that ViuTV's "Margaret and David" series from last year showed a lot of potential (and this year they are upping the ante by inviting HK movie veterans Anthony Wong and Patricia Ha to film the next installment in the series), so it's still possible for ViuTV to give TVB a run for their money in the TV series department (though it's very obvious that the target audience is different for both stations, as ViuTV is trying to pull in younger generation audiences while TVB is still catering to housewives for the most part).

-          Fox Asia (the international arm of U.S. media giant Fox Network) already announced plans to film their first Cantonese language television drama.  It will be a crime thriller that is based on true life events and will star award-winning HK movie veterans Anthony Wong (man, Anthony sure is busy lately, lol), Kara Hui, Tse Kwan Ho (all 3 are HKFA and/or Golden Horse Best Actor and Actress winners).  Fox will be doing a separate press conference to announce further details but rumor has it that they intend on working primarily with HK movie stars on their drama series so there is a possibility that we may see more HK movie industry A-listers returning to the small screen in the near future.

-          Netflix, which launched in HK last year, has been working on strengthening up its programming as well as its presence in the city.  They haven't made any formal announcements yet but industry insiders predict that they will likely make a move soon.  If Netflix does decide to produce their own original Chinese-language series, no doubt that it will turn up the heat on the competition given their track record of already producing hit TV series in other countries.  Also, they've already bought broadcasting rights to a bunch of popular Korean and Japanese TV series, which they plan on airing on their HK channel.

-          I just read an article this weekend that said HBO is also gearing up to get a piece of the action as well.  I actually didn't know this but turns out that last year, HBO had collaborated with a Chinese production crew (that consisted of a famous Mainland China director and HK stunt choreographer) to film and release 2 Chinese language TV movies.  In addition, they also collaborated with one of Taiwan's top TV stations on a series starring Taiwanese singer-actress Guo Shu Yao.  While it looks like HBO's target isn't necessarily the HK television market (at least not right now), it's pretty obvious that they are trying to establish their footprint in Asia and with HK's history of being one of Asia's premiere entertainment hubs (hey, HK didn't get its nickname "Hollywood of the East" for nothing), the likelihood of that "reach" expanding to HK in the future is pretty huge if you ask me.

HK Television Wars – Latest updates

It has been a long time since I’ve written about the ongoing “war” between TVB and the HK television industry.  Personally, I haven’t really been following TVB news as closely anymore (though of course I haven’t abandoned them completely – kind of hard to after following them for 30 years), but I’ve continued to keep tabs on the HK entertainment industry in general, especially as it pertains to my favorite artists or entertainers I grew up watching.  And yes, I’m also still keeping tabs on the HK television wars (aka the free-to-air licensing issue) to some extent (time permitting of course).

Here’s an update on a few things that have been going on recently impacting the HK television industry and TVB (note that this is NOT all-inclusive of everything that has been going on in the industry lately…I only cover a few things that come to mind):

1)      i-Cable’s free TV arm Fantastic Television finally received their license in hand last year and a few months ago, they held a press conference announcing that they are planning a launch date of May 2017.  As with their usual style, i-Cable’s management team has been super-secretive about their programming content, though what is known so far is that their business model will be very similar to ViuTV (NowTV’s free TV arm, which launched last year) in that their focus will be on variety programs and purchased content rather than self-produced TV series.

To be honest, I don’t get these companies’ mentality.  It doesn’t sound like they are serious at all about competing with TVB.  Everyone and their mothers know how “obsessed” HK audiences are with television series and currently TVB is pretty much the ONLY option when it comes to TV series production.  Doesn’t it make sense then that if you’re planning to launch a new TV station, your first priority should be to produce high quality television series that will  give you a decent chance of pulling in the ratings and audience share long-held by TVB?  I would surely think so!  Yet, both of the TV stations that were granted free-to-air television licenses 4 years ago (gosh, time sure does fly!) have chosen to go the complete opposite direction.  When ViuTV launched last year, they even stated publicly that they are “not  trying to capture TVB’s core audience” but rather, are focusing on those audiences who have abandoned TVB already, with the goal of producing content that will bring these audiences back to watching HK television.  Um, ok….sure, ViuTV, that’s a lofty goal and we appreciate the idea of wanting to bring HK audiences back but don’t you guys think that’s an unrealistic goal given the current environment in HK?  Besides, do you guys truly think that HK audiences who have abandoned TVB are now all of a sudden going to come scrambling back to watch variety programs, reality shows, and Cantonese-dubbed Korean series?  Did the ATV lesson of “how not to run a TV station in HK” teach you guys anything???  Apparently NOT…..

Anyway, back to the subject of i-Cable (aka Fantastic Television) launching soon.  According to recent reports (like literally from yesterday’s newspapers), Fantastic Television – which had put in an application to the Communications Authority last year (June 2016) to grant them some of the over-the-air broadcasting spectrum that ATV had to give back to the government after they closed last year – has now decided to put the broadcast spectrum talks on hold.  The Communications Authority is perplexed at this decision (and rightfully so) because Fantastic  Television won’t be able to broadcast in a free-to-air environment without establishing a terrestrial network, which is what the spectrum does (don’t ask me to explain the details cuz I’m not scientific so not 100% sure how it works).  Basically, without the spectrum, the station would need to purchase transmitters and a bunch of other equipment in order to transmit their signals in the free-to-air capacity, which would mean huge investment on their side.  Frankly, I’m scratching my head on this one as well – I mean, I highly doubt i-Cable has their own broadcast spectrum like HKTV does (which is the reason why Ricky Wong didn’t bother applying for ATV’s broadcast spectrum back when they gave it back to the government last year).  Something doesn’t sound right with this whole thing (the media outlets are actually calling this “a blow to HK’s free-to-air television market”), though who knows what the real story is behind the scenes.  I guess we will have to wait and see what happens in 3 months when the station officially launches.

2)      On the free-to-air license application front, the “big” (albeit “old”) news is that Forever Top (the consortium led by David Chiu – the son of former ATV owner Deacon Chiu – and Pansy Ho) decided to “suspend” their application for a free-to-air license in September of last year.  Their explain was that they need to “reorganize their corporate structure” before deciding whether to resume the application process.  Not really sure what that means, but putting my business hat on, I’m going to make an educated guess that there was either a major change in their executive ranks (i.e. maybe David and Pansy’s companies decided to part ways?) or there was some type of merger / acquisition (or something of that sort)….whatever the case may be, there is guaranteed to be a financial impact in one way or another, which is most likely the “real” reason why they are suspending their application.

So with Forever Top suspending their application, that leaves HKTV as the only other candidate out there with their second application for a license still pending.  I’m pretty sure Ricky Wong is banking on the fact that the new Chief Executive (we will know who it will be soon enough) coming in will be “nicer” to him than CY Leung was and perhaps give him the license that he has been trying to get (anyone want to bet that RW is hoping and praying that John Tsang becomes CE, since he has an amicable relationship with RW and HKTV?).  To be honest though, when it comes to government and politics, there is no such thing as “playing nice” or “playing fair”….doesn’t matter that the former Finance Commissioner was “supportive” of HKTV in the past – once he gets to the CE spot (if he makes it that is), he will need to abide by a different set of rules.  Personally, I don’t think HKTV will ever get their license (and this coming from a huge HKTV supporter) – the political environment in HK right now is toxic and tensions in society are at its highest levels.  With all the issues in the city right now (some of them “life and death” issues), I’m sure that deciding whether to grant new free-to-air TV licenses is low priority.  Besides, if the government decides to deny HKTV for a second time, I’m fairly certain that Ricky Wong and HKTV won’t get the type of mass audience support they got back in 2013 after the first license denial.  I could come up with many reasons to support why but will only cover a few here:  one – a lot has changed in the past 4 years and there are more pressing issues for Hong Kongers to worry about now; second – with ATV gone and ViuTV flopping, most HK television audiences are already resigned to the fact that they will be forever chained to TVB and if they don’t like it, then they can look outside of the city (i.e. China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, etc.) for entertainment options that fit their needs, since the local alternatives (non-TVB fare) aren’t appealing.  Besides, after seeing how poorly ViuTV is performing, it’s understandable that audiences don’t have confidence that other stations coming in will do any better.  The bottom line is that the “momentum” is not there anymore – HKTV’s best chance of getting a license was in 2013 and maybe 2014 when their series were airing and everything was still “fresh” with audiences…now that 3 years have gone by (and who knows how much longer it will be until the government decides to pick up the license issue again), HKTV has already been largely forgotten.  I hate to say it, but as much as I still support HKTV, I’m not oblivious to the reality of the situation.

3)      In terms of TVB – well, let’s just say that they’ve (supposedly) got challenges of their own to deal with.  Aside from being fined left and right by the Communications Authority for repeatedly violating rules governing product placement and indirect advertising on their programs (which TVB has been fighting the CA tooth and nail), TVB has been trying to fend off unsolicited offers to buy their company.  Just 2 days ago, there was a little known Mainland production company that offered to buy 30% stake in TVB – this while internally, the station’s current biggest shareholder Young Lion Holdings, led by Mainland investor Li Ruigang, just launched a share buyback program that will give themselves an even stronger hold on TVB. 

In addition, TVB decided to return their pay TV license back to the government last month, citing that they’ve been losing money on pay TV service for years now and it is no longer sustainable to be in that market.  They’re also claiming that their 2016 net profit will be down significantly (they are saying it will be down by as much as 55% to 65%) due to declining advertising revenue.  The numbers aren’t out yet so there’s no way to know whether TVB is exaggerating or not, but as a point of reference, from 2014 to 2015, TVB’s net profit went down by 6% (they went from net profit of HK$1.41 billion in 2014 to HK$1.33 billion in 2015).  Ok, I will be the first to admit that I haven’t the slightest clue how much it costs to run a TV station, but um, with the economy the way it is right now, being able to still turn over a profit in the billions of dollars is damn good if you ask me!  Sure, TVB is “making less” than what they made the year before, but it’s not like they are really losing money or operating “in the red” like ATV was doing.  Honestly, TVB should quit their whining over declining ad revenue (and all the other stuff they’ve been complaining about such as audiences’ viewing habits changing to watching series online rather than on the TV) and instead put that energy into producing better programs.  Their reputation has been in the toilet for more than a decade now and things are only going to get worse with more and more entertainment options cropping up globally.  But I guess that’s too much to ask of a company that already has an unchallenged monopoly on the HK television industry….

Latest Updates / Developments in the HK Television Industry – My Thoughts

With all the recent developments in the HK television world these past couple of weeks, I figured this might be a good time to put together a quick post recapping some of the latest happenings and also my thoughts on these developments.  Please note that I put this post together based on my memory and what I’ve read from various news sources and such, so it won’t be tremendously detailed in terms of specifics – if I have time, I’ll go back and modify the post to include links to the various articles that the information came from (though please don’t hold me to it, as it depends on whether I’m able to find time).

Ok, so the latest “hot off the press” news from today (which is kind of what triggered me to write this post) is the ‘bombshell’ that the main investor group which currently controls/owns TVB (the consortium consisting of TVB chairman Charles Chan, that HTC lady Cher Wang, and one other company) has sold its 26% controlling stake in TVB to a ‘major player’ in the Mainland (please read this article from SCMP for details, as I’m really bad with all this investment stuff so I may not have explained it correctly).   From what I gather from the article, the main “take-away” is this (quoted directly from the article):  “This marks the first time a major mainland player has access to a controlling stake in Hong Kong’s free-to-air broadcaster”.

I may be reading too much into this, but I have a sinking feeling that the above shareholder change in TVB is not going to bode well for the HK television industry.  Ever since the ‘changing of the guard’ a few years ago from the Shaw family to Charles Chan and company (and the subsequent switching out of the station’s chairman from Run Run Shaw to Mona Fong to Norman Leung then to Charles Chan), TVB hasn’t felt the same to me – now with this newest change, TVB feels even more distant...it’s almost as though the station is losing more and more of its ‘HK flavor’, which definitely isn’t a good thing, especially for those of us who grew up in the glory days of the HK entertainment industry.  Also with these recent changes, another concern I can’t help but having is whether TVB is showing signs of going down ATV’s path with its increasingly negative reputation and incompetent / constantly changing management.

Related to this is the situation surrounding ATV and the fight for free TV licenses.  Since it’s been a whirlwind month in terms of that, let’s recap….

On April 1st, the government announced that they will not be renewing ATV’s free TV license (despite the fact that they finally found a buyer in that AID International company), which means that ATV will have to close up shop by April of next year (if they survive that long).  In that same press conference, the government also announced that they are officially issuing a 12 year free TV license to NowTV’s free TV subsidiary HKTVE (not to be confused with HKTV).  Government radio station RTHK got thrown into the equation too when the Communications Authority announced that RTHK would take over ATV’s analogue broadcasting spectrum once ATV officially closes (this threw RTHK for a loop, since they are not even set up to use analogue spectrum and would have to invest tons of resources and money in order to get setup to use it).  Fantastic Television’s (i-Cable’s free TV subsidiary) TV license is still “in limbo” because ever since their application was approved more than a year ago, they’ve done pretty much nothing in terms of preparation for launching a free TV channel – so until they show some movement, their license will continue to be “on hold”.  The latest development in terms of i-Cable is that they put in an application with the government for ATV’s broadcasting spectrum (once ATV closes up shop) – last I heard was that the government is reviewing the application (still no movement on the licensing front though).

Meanwhile, on the HKTV front – well, despite officially launching on the internet in November 2014 and gaining wide support from audiences for their quality series, their future still hangs in the balance.  The judicial review that they filed against the government for denying them a free TV license is still “pending” in court (technically, the case is over except for the important fact that the judge has not issued a decision yet – and has continued to postpone the decision indefinitely)….however, they still resubmitted their application for a free TV license last year and are waiting for the government to once again make a decision (I wonder if they will have to wait another 4 years for the decision like they did last time).   In the mean time, Ricky Wong has proposed a collaboration with ATV whereby he will allow ATV to air HKTV series but they will share half the advertising revenue/profits…to sweeten the deal, Ricky Wong will pay ATV 5 million HKD a month for their operating costs (so HKTV is essentially proposing to “rent” ATV’s channels to broadcast their series).  With the dire situation that ATV is in, you would think that they would jump at such a deal right?  Well, apparently not – ATV’s idiotic chairman Ip Ka Bo opened his big mouth last week and pretty much ‘dissed’ HKTV’s offer, saying that it was ‘questionable’ and he was ‘worried’ that HKTV’s series won’t be able to pull in ratings or sustain advertisers (um, wait – ATV is worried that HKTV won’t be able to pull in high ratings when their own programs can’t even get past the ‘zero’ mark in ratings?  That makes no sense to me at all)…..Ip Ka Bo then went on to say that HKTV’s offer of 5 million HKD is ‘too low’ and asked for a minimum of 10 million HKD per month instead (so I guess all that talk about being ‘worried’ over ratings and advertising was a bunch of baloney – at the end of the day, it boiled down to Ip Ka Bo wanting more money…).

Speaking of ATV….in another twist last week, veteran actor / director / producer (and former ATV employee) Tsui Siu Ming announced that he is in talks with ATV’s management to purchase the station.  His reason for doing so is because he holds ATV near and dear to his heart and doesn’t want to see its remaining 500+ employees out of a job – he specified in his proposal his plans for producing programming and series and also stated that he would try to re-apply for a license next year.  But if it turns out that ATV will still have to close, he wants the station to at least go out with ‘honor and dignity’.  Not sure if ATV is going to take Tsui Siu Ming up on his offer (though I think it’s safe to assume that this offer is likely one of the reasons why Ip Ka Bo said what he did in terms of HKTV’s offer being ‘questionable’ – he probably thinks that ATV has other options now, so they can play ‘hard to get’…).  We’ll have to see what happens.

Lastly (see, told you there’s been a lot going on…lol), the son of late former ATV owner Deacon Chiu (sorry, forgot the son’s name) has announced plans to team up with Macau gambling mogul Stanley Ho’s daughter Pansy Ho as well as a bunch of other Mainland companies (in another ‘consortium’ – what’s with all these consortiums anyway?) to set up a terrestrial TV station (meaning free local TV station) in HK and invest billions of dollars to maintain it.  He has already submitted his application for a free TV license and will be the other ‘major player’ vying for a license next year (the other ‘major player’ is of course HKTV).    Whether this consortium will be successful or not in its TV station venture remains to be seen, but as of right now, it’s definitely not looking good for HKTV, as the Chiu consortium has Mainland backing, which leads me to believe that the Mainland-leaning HK government will likely grant a license to them over HKTV (especially given how much the government hates Ricky Wong and HKTV).

Oh wait – don’t forget there was the whole thing about American company Fox International entering the HK television and film market as well (I posted that article a few weeks back so feel free to check that out too).

Concluding thoughts….with so much instability in the HK television market right now and so many ‘decisions’ up in the air, the coming months will definitely be interesting to see how everything pans out.  At this point, I’m not even going to attempt to ‘guess’ what any of the outcomes will be, as everything is too volatile right now and new developments seem to emerge every week practically that ‘threaten’ to change the future landscape of the HK television industry (for better or for worse?).  One thing I will say though is that I will definitely continue to ‘be along for the ride’!

Thoughts?  Opinions?

NEWS ARTICLE: New ATV chief defends station's reliance on re-runs

Here's an article published earlier today about ATV.  I actually don't really give a rat's tail about ATV nowadays, since those imbecilic executives who are in charge of the station have pretty much run it into the ground -- to the point that the station has become an eyesore and embarrassment to HK.  Even though ATV says that they will be going through some changes this year and will go back to filming series again (at least that's what chairman Ip Kar Bo claims), I highly doubt that they will be able to rebound from the dismal state that they are currently in.

With all that said, I still try to pay attention to news about ATV because the fact of the matter is that they are still a major 'player' in the free TV license game, regardless of how 'unworthy' and 'undeserving' we feel they are.  I don't know about you guys, but one thing I'm really keeping a close eye on is whether ATV will truly be able to get its license renewed next year -- given its poor track record, bad financials, lack of sound management, etc. etc., any talk of renewing ATV's license definitely defies logic...but unfortunately, the odds seem to be in their favor in that the government appears to be leaning towards allowing their renewal to go through.  If that's truly the case, then SHAME on the corrupt HK government!

Oh and one part of the article I wanted to draw attention to is the paragraph near the end about access to the broadcasting spectrum -- this issue was actually brought up multiple times in the past (and, quite frankly, is actually quite a crucial topic in any discussion related to the free TV licenses).....but each time, it was pretty much buried in the 'mountain' of controversy surrounding HKTV, TVB, and the government.  

Just to sum it up in laymen's terms:  back in 2007, TVB and ATV were given the green light to broadcast their programs utilizing 'high definition' methods with the requirement that they would extend their digital network coverage to 75% of HK within a year -- the idea would be that digital coverage would eventually exceed 98% of the population in HK and at that time, analogue transmissions would be completely turned off.  Since both TVB and ATV were 'analogue' stations, the only way for them to broadcast via digital means was for the government to allow them access to the broadcasting spectrum, which is a scarce public resource that is tightly regulated by the government -- this is pretty much the only way for the 2 stations to provide 'free' content to the public via digital means.  Given this information, it makes sense that with the granting of 2 additional free-to-air licenses last year (to NowTV and i-Cable), the government will need to open up the broadcasting spectrum even further and allow these 2 new license holders to access in order to broadcast their content.  Sounds simple, right?  Wrong!  There has been a huge debate going on within government departments for years over the broadcasting spectrum and how much access should be given, since there are all sorts of complicated rules associated with its usage -- the government has been unwilling to open up the spectrum any further than it already has, which means that the free TV license holders need to 'work within their means' and figure out a way to share the spectrum without violating any rules.  Currently, TVB and ATV dominate the spectrum and it goes without saying that they definitely won't 'give up' any part of their spectrum on their own accord -- this is why i-Cable says that the free TV market won't be a 'level playing field' unless the government 'forces' the other stations to 'share' their spectrum by redistributing it.

Ok...sorry for the long-winded explanation about such a 'boring' topic as broadcasting spectrum, but it's actually an integral part of this whole free TV license discussion thing, so I felt that it's important for those who have an active interest in the license issue to understand it.

Anyway, back to the article....

*****

 New ATV chief defends station's reliance on re-runs

Source:  SCMP

Article published April 8, 2014

The new executive director of ATV has defended the station's use of re-runs to fill its schedule, saying the amount of airtime devoted to repeats was not high compared with other channels in the region.

But Ip Ka-po was tight-lipped over a possible tie-up with Ricky Wong Wai-kay's HKTV.

Separately, the owner of Cable TV said the distribution of spectrum by the government and the Communications Authority meant the city's free-TV market was not a level playing field.

Ip said ATV was working towards offering a wider variety of programmes to viewers, adding more current affairs and talk shows. Daily or weekly re-runs of topical news shows were "to facilitate audience members with different daily routines", he said.

Viewers might think the same programme was being repeated because such shows "all look similar - a few people talking on TV", he said.

ATV's current affairs show Asia Policy Unit is shown three times a day, while one talk show is shown twice a day.

Ip's predecessor as executive director, Louie King-bun, was sacked in February - barely six months into the job - after reportedly filing a complaint with the Communications Authority accusing the station's major investor Wong Ching of meddling in ATV's affairs.

Citing an internal study which compared the channel's re-run rate with that of eight other channels in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the mainland, Ip said ATV's rate - 30 per cent of its airtime - was not particularly high, relatively speaking.

He said ATV was confident its free-to-air licence would be renewed and revealed that some HK$2.7 billion would be invested over the next six years, mainly on a computer system upgrade and technical support for HD broadcasting.

A documentary on the "colour revolutions" in Europe and central Asia - a phenomenon Beijing loyalists see as a potential threat to Hong Kong - will be broadcast in May. Ip denied the broadcast was timed to coincide with the Occupy Central movement, which may take place in the summer, and said the show would offer a fair portrayal of those recent popular revolutions.

Ip gave no details on talks that may have been held between Wong Ching and Ricky Wong Wai-kay over dinner in December. Some had speculated that ATV might be sold to HKTV, or that some of its channels would be rented to Ricky Wong's company. Ip said there had been no contact between either camp for "two or three months".

Meanwhile, in a submission to the Communications Authority, i-Cable Communications questioned the handling of transmission capacity by the authority and the government. As the owner of pay-TV network Cable TV, whose subsidiary Fantastic TV was approved for a free-TV licence, it urged the authority to grant Fantastic TV and PCCW's Hong Kong Television Entertainment - another new free-TV player - access to the spectrum.

This would allow the two new free-TV players to broadcast their primary channels to terrestrial TV viewers.

Currently, only TVB and ATV have access to the spectrum.

News Articles: Update on Free TV Licensing Issues

Long time no see!  

First off, my apologies for the lack of posts and updates in recent weeks.  I've had a lot going on the past month or so and unfortunately, due to time constraints, this blog became lower priority for me.  With that said though, I'm officially 'back' now, working on posts and trying to get back into the swing of things. Sincere THANK YOU to the readers of my blog for your continued dedication and patience! :-)

Ok, so now on to the main post...

As I've been 'catching up' on HK entertainment stuff, I came across a few articles from this past week that give a little bit of an update on some matters related to the free TV licensing issue.  Now, you might be wondering -- what TV licensing issue?  Isn't that over already with the issuance of new licenses to NowTV and i-Cable and the 'infamously controversial' snubbing of HKTV last year?  Well, yes and no.  

The licensing controversy involving HKTV, NowTV, and i-Cable may be over -- for now -- but there's been another licensing issue going on simultaneously (actually since a few years ago, even before the licensing decision came out last year).  I'm sure those who had been following the licensing issue avidly will remember that both of HK's current free TV stations -- TVB and ATV -- are up for license renewal in November 2015.  As part of the renewal process, both TV stations are supposed to participate in 'public consultation' sessions hosted by the Communications Authority (formerly the Broadcasting Authority) whereby ordinary HK citizens (aka 'the public') get to voice their opinions -- good or bad -- about both stations.  During the sessions, representatives from both stations as well as from the CA sit at a long table and listen to the public speak -- of course, both stations are allowed to give their 'concluding statements' at the end where they can refute some of the public's arguments if they want, but for the most part, they are sitting there taking notes.  

I've been watching news coverage of the public consultation sessions (there have been 3 of them in the past 2 weeks) and let me tell you, it's quite interesting to watch -- some of the audience members actually make very good, valid points while others say things that don't make an ounce of sense whatsoever.  The 'highlight' for me though is watching how the management at both TVB and ATV respond to the 'feedback' that they are being given face-to-face -- both stations got 'clobbered' with tons of criticisms but ATV got hit especially hard (TVB at least got some praises for some of their programming...ATV got mostly criticism...in fact, it started to feel like a 'bash ATV' session after awhile).

Anyway, since I haven't posted in awhile, I decided to include a few articles related to the public consultation session as well as 2 related articles about some 'aftermath' from last year's controversial licensing decision and also the latest 'firing' of yet another ATV senior executive.  All are interesting reads and provide pretty good updates on some of the things going on outside of the standard celebrity news articles.

Enjoy!! :-)

*****

Article 1 (published March 11, 2014):

Watchdog urged to be transparent over ATV and TVB licence renewal

Source:  SCMP

Lawmakers have criticised as "opaque" and "unclear" the yardsticks set by the broadcasting watchdog for the renewal of ATV and TVB's broadcasting licences next year.

Members of the Legislative Council's panel on broadcasting urged the Communications Authority to instead set clear criteria - and to recommend the government refuse a new licence if either of the free-to-air stations fails to make the grade.

Both stations have attracted controversy. TVB has been accused of taking advantage of its dominant position in the market, while cash-strapped ATV has frequently fallen foul of the watchdog - often due to allegations of interference by its mainland investor, Wong Ching. Both - but especially ATV - have faced complaints of pro-Beijing bias.

The authority was seeking lawmakers' views on the licence renewal process, which is also subject to a two-month public consultation, ending on April 3.

Its chairman, Ambrose Ho Pui-him, told the panel it would take into account the track records of the licence holders, their financial strength and public opinion before making a recommendation to the chief executive.

"We shall assess the three factors individually and then come up with an overall assessment," Ho said.

But People Power lawmaker Raymond Chan Chi-chuen, once an ATV presenter, said: "An overall assessment can be very subjective. We need a more transparent system."

League of Social Democrats chairman "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung said the watchdog should set clear criteria and make them public, so citizens could monitor its work.

"I daresay all the people of Hong Kong want ATV to fold," Leung said. "I wonder why the authority would still need to consider giving it a licence."

Others referenced the row over the last round of free-to-air television licensing decisions last year, when the government went against the watchdog's recommendation and gave new licences to only two of the three bidders: existing pay television players Now TV and Cable TV. The decision sparked huge protests.

Labour's Cyd Ho Sau-lan asked whether the station that missed out, Hong Kong Television Network, would automatically get a licence if ATV or TVB were rejected.

Ambrose Ho declined to speculate. He said the watchdog would make a recommendation on whether to renew the licences around November, but the final decision would be for Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

The authority held the last of three hearings on the renewal process in Sha Tin last night. As at previous hearings most of those who spoke criticised ATV's programming. Ho promised to consider the views raised.

The Legco panel will hold a special meeting on Saturday to listen to the views of concerned groups on licensing renewal.

Yesterday's panel meeting also endorsed a request from RTHK to retain the position of deputy director of broadcasting for the next five years to help the government-owned station prepare for its move to a new headquarters. The headquarters plan has been delayed by at least two years after another Legco panel rejected a funding request following a huge rise in costs.

Panel members also approved a HK$64.2 million plan to allow RTHK to extend the reach of its digital terrestrial television stations to 99 per cent of homes.

****
Article 2 (published February 17, 2014):

Second blowup set in license row

Source:  The Standard

A new drama will unfold this evening when a public hearing on TVB and ATV is held.

It's part of the public consultation process on their licenses that are due for renewal in 2015. Three sessions are scheduled - after tonight's on Hong Kong Island, the others will be held later in Kowloon and the New Territories.

Although the hearings are hosted by the Communications Authority, senior executives from both TV stations will attend. Will they be chastised by radicals, like what happened during the mid-term review in 2009, when then TVB general manager Stephen Chan Chi-wan was dogged by opponents whenever he appeared in public?

As the host, the authority is duty- bound to ensure the public can air their views properly. It's obvious the regulator has learned from past experience and isn't taking any chances in the face of the intense interest everyone has in TV.

At least, it has set the ground rules prohibiting anyone from carrying protesting banners and placards into the City Hall Concert Hall - amid fears they would disrupt the hearing.

Its staff have made it clear to protesters they will be expelled if they cause a ruckus. For example, well- known activist Lui Yuk-lin has been warned.

The hearing won't be a question and answer forum, but it'd be unrealistic to expect opponents to stop playing tricks.

TV licensing has always been a sensitive issue. But what happens next may differ from what transpired five years ago. At that time, protesters went after TVB, while ATV was basically the supporting character.

Their roles will likely be reversed, as recent commentaries in local newspapers were more critical of ATV than TVB.

The so-called "Wong Ching Incident" - in which ATV executive director James Shing Pan-yu was forced to quit the station - has dealt ATV a huge blow. That's unprecedented in local television history.

Public opinions are rather one-sided: ATV doesn't deserve a license in view of its dismal performance. It will bear most of the heat.

Of course, TVB has its own share of detractors, but the most controversial issue - the row over the government's rejection of a free-to-air license for HKTV - had nothing to do with TVB.

While it's inevitable for the debate to spill over to the shattering of HKTV boss Ricky Wong Wai-kay's dream, TVB is safe, as its dominant position in the industry makes it too big for a rejection to be viable.
But it's clear TVB isn't taking any chances, as a recent minor incident revealed.

While the public heard about how speedskater Barton Lui Pan-to complained of being left in the cold by the SAR's Olympics officials during the Sochi Winter Games, a local daily reported that the image of the "Snow Lion Flag" - a symbol of the Tibetan independence movement - appeared in TVB's coverage of the sports event.

The image turned out to be fake, doctored by netizens. TVB immediately raised the matter with the newspaper and demanded a clarification - putting out a potential fire.

If the license review is a test for both stations, it's also a test of the authority's skills to conduct it fairly and peacefully.

********
Article 3 (published March 11, 2014):

Terms set on renewal of licenses for TV stations

Source:  The Standard

The Communications Authority will consider TVB's and ATV's financial viability and operation capabilities when handling their renewal bids for free-to-air TV licenses, its chairman said.

Ambrose Ho Pui-him also told the Legislative Council's panel on information technology and broadcasting that the authority will consider public opinions when handling the applications of the two stations.

The broadcasters' licenses will expire next year.

People Power lawmaker Raymond Chan Chi-chuen asked about the criteria for renewal.

"We will base it on the operation and financial capabilities as well as their TV programming arrangements," Ho said, adding that the authority will seek public opinions.

"We will also take into account their performance, implementing their license terms, legal requirements and code of practice in the past," Ho said yesterday.

The authority will also take into account any violation of regulations.

The authority will then make their recommendation to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in November, before the Chief Executive in Council makes the final decision.

The panel also passed a non- binding motion by Civic Party lawmaker Claudia Mo Man-ching demanding the government take into account whether the two broadcasters had shown professional integrity before renewing their licenses.

In a related development, the authority held the third public hearing in Sha Tin Town Hall on the license renewals last night.

Outside the venue, a group of ATV supporters staged a rally to demand the authority renew its license.

Others urged the government not to renew the license as its programs mostly lack quality.


*********
Article 4 (published March 11, 2014):

Consultant in TV row to sue old firm for HK$10m

Source:  SCMP

A consultant who alleges she was asked to resign after speaking out against the government in last year's television licensing row says she will sue her former company for more than HK$10 million she says she is owed.

Jenny Ng Pui-ying, former managing partner at Value Partners, said that after the company announced she had resigned "voluntarily" it had issued a dismissal letter to avoid paying out money due to her.

In an interview with the Economic Journal, she accused the consulting firm - engaged by the government to report on the issuing of new free-to-air television licences - of "tackling" her with "an unusual action".

She told the Chinese-language newspaper that she decided to resign and her resignation was accepted before reports emerged she had been pressed to quit after the company's Italian founder, Giorgio Rossi Cairo, received a complaint accusing her of breaching confidentiality.

The complaint came after Ng came out in December to say that the government had used a report from her consultancy as a shield against criticism of its decision not to grant a free-to-air television licence to Hong Kong Television Network. She said it had quoted "a few paragraphs" from a 400-page report "out of context" in seeking to justify the awarding of licences only to applicants backed by pay-television players Now TV and Cable TV.

Value Partners said on February 5 that Ng had quit "voluntarily" in a letter dated January 22.

After her departure, she said, the company issued a letter of dismissal because, she claimed, it did not want to compensate her for lack of notice or compensate her for leave owing.

She was quoted as saying she believed "someone had stirred up the matter" but she had no evidence to point to the government. Ng reiterated in the interview that she did not regret speaking out against the government, but what upset her most was that her contribution to the company had been wiped out.

In an invitation to a press conference this afternoon, Ng wrote that Value Partners "had unreasonably withheld her salary and bonus of more than HK$10 million" and "her personal e-mail account was hacked".

Ng could not be reached for comment last night. Value Partners had not responded to questions about Ng's accusations.

********

Article 5 (published February 27, 2014):

ATV drama continues as chief lodges complaint

Source:  SCMP

ATV is embroiled in controversy again. Its boss has filed a complaint with the broadcasting watchdog, accusing the station's high-profile investor Wong Ching of meddling in its affairs.

In a letter addressed to Communications Authority chairman Ambrose Ho Pui-him and other members of the watchdog, ATV executive director Louie King-bun wrote that Wong had on multiple occasions interfered in the station's operations.

"As ATV's executive director, I must report Wong's multiple interference in ATV's operations," Louie wrote in the letter, dated yesterday, a copy of which has been obtained by the South China Morning Post.

The television station was last year fined HK$1 million and its former chief James Shing Pan-yu ordered to step down after the authority found that Shing had allowed Wong, who is not a member of ATV's board of directors, to interfere in its operations.

Louie wrote that, against his wishes, Wong had been instructing him to disregard contractual rules in the handling of business affairs. Wong later asked Nicholas Li, a vice-president who handles financial affairs, to carry out his instructions, Louie added.

"But Li's act was against the company's principles," Louie wrote, without elaborating. "I terminated his employment, but [ATV's largest stakeholder] Wong Ben-koon and Wong Ching asked me to give him another chance … [so] I reinstated Li."

According to Louie, Wong Ching sent him a text message on Tuesday afternoon, listing "three crimes" the station chief had committed. That same day, Wong Ben-koon met Louie in Shenzhen and said Louie had to leave ATV because he had not complied with Wong's orders.

At midnight yesterday, Dragon Viceroy, an ATV stakeholder controlled by Wong Ben-koon, issued a statement that Louie was no longer on the station's board of directors. "This is why I must report this. I am still the head of ATV's management as of now," Louie wrote.

The watchdog yesterday confirmed receipt of a complaint regarding control over the station's operations. It declined to name the complainant, but said it would follow up on the matter. Last night, Louie could not be reached for comment and ATV did not respond to inquiries.

Last August, Louie, former executive editor of leftist newspaper Ta Kung Pao, replaced Shing after the authority ruled the latter breached licensing terms by letting Wong interfere with ATV's day-to-day operations.

The authority began its investigation in July 2011 after allegations that Wong gave instructions on a newscast falsely reporting the death of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin .

SCMP Editorial: Why quality TV in Hong Kong is dead - and won't be resurrected

Below is a very interesting Opinion piece from SCMP.  The writer of the piece couldn’t have said it any better!  As a long-time follower of HK entertainment and someone who has personally witnessed how greatly television impacts society, I couldn’t agree more with what this SCMP writer wrote (and obviously she knows her stuff, as this is one of those rare English language articles I’ve read that actually got the ‘historical’ piece right!).

People who look at this whole licensing issue merely from a ‘HKTV is a sore loser’ and ‘what’s the big deal – it’s only a TV station’ perspective obviously don’t understand the historical context behind the whole issue as well as the social implications.  Perhaps only those of us who’ve been around a long time and have followed the entertainment industry so closely for several decades are truly able to understand and appreciate the importance of the entertainment industry in HK from a social context.   

I’ve read a lot of comments lately about how much people hate Ricky Wong and are therefore glad that HKTV didn’t get a license – I know I’m probably offending a lot of people when I say this, but those who think that way are idiots (pardon my language) and obviously aren’t able to look beyond the surface of what this issue is truly about.  As I’ve said from the beginning (you guys can go back and read my previous rants on the TV license wars if you want), this isn’t about Ricky Wong – you can hate him all you want (I personally still have reservations about him, as I’ve stated repeatedly in my previous posts), but to me, disliking a particular person isn’t reason enough to justify stifling the HK creative industry.  Those of you who are able to look beyond the ‘face’ of HKTV (Ricky Wong) and understand the social impact of this free TV licensing decision will probably understand what I’m trying to get at and also understand why so many entertainment industry people – even those who work for HKTV’s rivals – are outraged by the decision. 

Honestly, no one is trying to ‘force’ people to support HKTV or Ricky Wong (though of course, some people out there believe that criticizing the government’s decision is equivalent to supporting HKTV, which actually isn’t true at all).  To many of us, what HKTV represents – the ‘ideals’ of creative freedom, the chance to realize one’s dream, reigniting a passion for one’s craft, striving to bring back quality entertainment, etc. – is actually what we as Hong Kongers are concerned about and are fighting hard to uphold.  It’s not about whether you’re a supporter of TVB or HKTV (those of you who know me know that I’m a supporter of both stations and continue to be to this day) – rather, it’s a question of how you identify with HK and what values / ideals you feel are worth fighting for.  Perhaps if people personalize the issue in this way, it will help them better understand and accept each other’s different opinions on the matter.

.*****.

Why quality TV in Hong Kong is dead - and won't be resurrected

Written by Vivienne Chow

Source:  South China Morning Post

It’s been over a week since the decision was made and despite tens of thousands taking to the streets on Sunday the government remains tight-lipped over why it chose to go against the original television policy and denied Hong Kong Television Network’s (HKTV) bid for a free-to-air TV licence.

Conspiracy theories speculating the reasons behind HKTV’s failure have been circulating and are getting more creative than the station’s own drama series: its chairman Ricky Wong Wai-kay’s questionable financial sources and alleged connection with Next Media’s Jimmy Lai; Wong’s aggressiveness in pressing for the granting of a licence has allegedly offended the government; some in the government or the Executive Council were trying to protect the existing domestic free TV stations.

Apparently the saga already escalated to a level that goes beyond why Hong Kong people are denied the chance to watch the 300 hours of HK$200 million worth of dramas and infotainment programmes that HKTV has already produced. It is about the government’s accountability, public trust and social justice, which I already elaborated in detail in my personal blog Culture Shock (www.viviennechow.com). However, there is one issue I didn’t touch upon, which is the construction of a Hong Kong cultural identity.

What makes HKTV stand out from the other two applicants that will be granted licences - i-Cable’s Fantastic TV and PCCW’s Hong Kong Television Entertainment – is that HKTV focuses on drama and infotainment programmes.

It is a stark contrast with the plans of the other two stations which will be focusing on lifestyle and news programmes, which are already running in their pay-TV subsidiaries Cable TV (i-Cable) and Now TV (PCCW). Wong kept emphasising his political indifference and his determination to focus on entertainment rather than current affairs programmes. But apparently this could be where the problem lies.

While news and current affairs programmes are important indicators of a city’s freedom of speech, TV dramas are among the most powerful tools for the construction of a cultural identity and the spreading of ideologies. This was recognised at academic and government level. In New Zealand’s The Social Report 2010, content programming on television was identified as the primary indicator that “television is the dominant cultural medium for most New Zealanders”, and hence television has a strong influence on how New Zealanders see themselves. Television was an integral part of the daily routine of some people, according to scholar James Lull, and as a result, what is portrayed on TV, fictional or not, will certainly influence people’s way of thinking.

This was exactly the case in Hong Kong. TVB was launched as the city’s first free-to-air broadcaster in November 1967 – just after violence began to subside after a series of leftist riots that killed 51 people. Night time daily variety show Enjoy Yourself Tonight, which promoted a new way to relax and enjoy the evening after a long day of work and dinner, became an important programme in TVB’s schedule. The satirical elements in the show became a channel for viewers to vent their discontent with society. The popularity of the programme also helped deter people from roaming the streets – keeping the society in order after the riots using a cultural tool.

Television in the 1970s was influenced by the economic boom. Drama series reflecting the newfound modernity Hong Kong was experiencing at the time were rolled out one after another: there was the epic 129-episode drama Hotel (1976), A House Is Not A Home (家變) in 1977, Conflict (奮鬥) and The Giant in 1978, and the classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (網中人) in 1979.

And from these series, people adopted the idea that success was defined by one’s achievements in the business world, and everybody had a chance as long as you worked hard on it. It also shaped people’s perspective of the world – the lazy and dumb mainland immigrant Ah Chan portrayed by Liu Wai-hung in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly pretty much defined how Hongkongers viewed mainlanders back in those days.

On the other hand, there was leeway for experiment – Seven Women: Miu Kam-fung (1976) was a ground-breaking TV film in which Patrick Tam Ka-ming paid homage to French New Wave auteur Jean-Luc Godard.

The intense competition between TVB and Rediffusion Television (the forerunner of ATV) demanded for quality productions, and the TV industry became a cradle for today’s best-known film talents, from directors Ann Hui On-wah and Johnnie To Kei-fung to actors Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau Tak-wah. ATV, on the other hand, exported acclaimed actors Chapman To and Cheung Ka-fai.

TV dramas also became cultural products exported to Southeast Asia and Chinese-speaking communities around the world. It was the pride of Hong Kong.

Canto-pop, which was created largely evolving around TV dramas, was also exported to the rest of the world. Hong Kong was a leader only after Japan. TV dramas telling authentic Hong Kong stories constructed a unique Hong Kong cultural identity.

But the legend of Hong Kong television no longer lives. As TVB wins the ratings even with poorly produced programmes, quality and creativity in TV industry has reached a new low. And at the same time, standard of TV productions from South Korea, mainland China, Taiwan and even Southeast Asia surpassed that of Hong Kong.

As local news and current affairs programmes already have little market value overseas, demand for Hong Kong TV products is diminishing, possibly to a level that Hong Kong might lose its cultural pride and influence in the region.

If more quality dramas can be produced and exported, the dampened Hong Kong spirit could be revived. But the station that vowed to produce dramas has been ousted.

Could it be that someone out there doesn’t want Hongkongers to retain a Hong Kong cultural identity?