Hong Kong broadcaster TVB goes over the top in seeking to become the Chinese Netflix
Executive says the real competition is now global and not just local given that the internet is now driving audience choice
Television Broadcasts (TVB) is joining the global battle over internet-based over-the-top (OTT) services in a bid to make its new content platform the Chinese answer to Netflix.
When asked if April’s launch of new free TV player ViuTV will pose a threat to the broadcasting giant, Mark Lee Po-on, executive director and group chief executive officer of TVB, said Hong Kong’s TV industry was facing competition from all over the world, not just a new TV station.
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“The technology disruption has changed people’s behaviour,” Lee said at the Filmart show on Wednesday. “With the internet and globalisation, we are competing with the rest of the world, not just a new local TV station.”
Lee said the broadcaster was not relying just on terrestrial free-to-air broadcasting any more.
He said TVB had been pushing the recent launch of its new platform, myTV SUPER, offering not only live streaming of 20 channels but also a vast library of content from TVB classic dramas to acquired programmes such as drama series from South Korea and Japan.
Viewers can watch the shows on a TV set by installing a set-top box or an app on a mobile device.