TV industry figures call for more relaxed rules on advertising
As television faces tough competition from the internet and other new media, industry figures are seeking a fairer slice of the advertising pie
Television industry figures have called for more relaxed advertising regulations to allow the medium to compete with a growing range of new media.
They say rules governing advertising time, product placement, political advertising - as well as services such as pregnancy testing and funerals - should be eased to give TV a fairer piece of the income pie.
With television now pitched against the internet and other platforms, industry insiders say new income avenues are badly needed, particularly if Hong Kong is to have at least two more free-to-air TV stations.
Chung Yat-ming, an industry veteran and vice-president of the Hong Kong Televisioners Association, said the media ecology in the 1980s was simple as television operators mainly competed with print media for ads.
But now they face the challenge of internet platforms, mobile TV on buses, bus station panels, the MTR and outdoor billboards, Chung said.
In reality, however, television's share of the advertising pie did not show a significant increase over the past decade.