World Cup fans demand free broadcasting
Forget universal suffrage. Think football for all.
That was the battle cry of eight World Cup fans who delivered a letter to the Broadcasting Authority yesterday calling for free broadcasting of the World Cup and other international sporting competitions.
Advocacy turned to protest when the whistle-wearing, jersey-clad fans spontaneously decided to chant slogans outside the authority's offices on the 39th floor of Revenue Tower in Wan Chai.
'No World Cup broadcasts on ATV and TVB, Hong Kong citizens can do nothing,' they chanted. 'Open the public spaces for citizens to watch. Broadcast the World Cup.'
The protesters said they wanted the government to act by tomorrow to ensure people can watch the quarter-finals, which begin on Friday.
Viewers must subscribe to Cable TV to watch all of the matches from home. Otherwise, fans have to go to pubs or restaurants to cheer on their favourite teams, often paying a fee.
The World Cup semi-finals and final will be broadcast on ATV and TVB, but only viewers with high-definition televisions will be able to watch.
'We're giving them a yellow card now, but if the government is not going to broadcast the quarter-finals, we'll issue them a red card,' said Brian Ho Yan-wing, wearing a referee's jersey. He said they would use Facebook to recruit fans to march on Thursday if no action was taken.
'In the long term, we want the government to have legislation for free-to-air television broadcasters to broadcast the important matches, so that citizens can watch the next Olympic Games, Asian Games and World Cup for free.'
Chris Luk Tai-hang remembers watching World Cup matches on ATV and TVB in the 1990s. 'I couldn't even watch the opening match this year,' he said. 'In dai pai dong, you have to pay HK$100 to watch a match. This is unfair to the grassroots,' said Luk.
The protesters said their demands were reasonable.
'The government said they want to promote football development in Hong Kong, but if they can't even broadcast these important matches, how can they enhance the football level in Hong Kong?' Ho asked.
They also questioned the Jockey Club's offer to let people view the games for free.
'If you ask the football fans to go there, the government is actually encouraging them to gamble. They're being contradictory,' Ho said. Activist Tsang Kin-shing went on his own to support the tiny protest after he read about it on Facebook.
'The government has betrayed the people,' Tsang said, adding that the matches should be broadcast on free-to-air stations.
Nearly half of Hong Kong football fans said live television would be their main way of following the World Cup this year, according to a Nielsen survey released Monday. The survey polled 27,000 people in 55 global markets.
