Topic

ATV - Asia Television Limitedi

Asia Television was one of Hong Kong's two free television broadcasters. Established in 1957, it was the world's first Chinese television station but surpassed by its major rival Television Broadcasts in both company size and viewership. ATV’s reputation was badly damaged after its false report of former leader Jiang Zemin’s death on July 6, 2011. Its broadcasting licence expired on April 1, 2016.

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Wong Ching ran the half-century-old Asia Television into the ground. But the saving grace is that his absurd antics throughout his reign from 2010 over the city's perennial also-ran station have provided us with endless amusement, entertainment and opportunity for ridicule.

Asia Television does not deserve to live. It's been airing re-runs; its news service staff are badly demoralised and many have left; it has had troubles paying employees and licence fees; and an unnamed white knight has baulked at the absurd HK$700 million price tag major shareholder Wong Ching is demanding.

  • Bizhan Tong, new executive producer at ATV, is bursting with content ideas as he turns the former terrestrial TV station into a studio making movies and dramas
  • The former banker and fan of Asian cinema says losing its broadcasting licence has liberated ATV to think beyond Hong Kong

Bowie Tsang may have a prominent father, Hong Kong actor Eric Tsang, but she is famous in her own right for being a well-respected TV host, singer, actress and author. We look back on her career.

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In a new twist to the sorry drama of Hong Kong’s now-defunct ATV, the company is likely to avoid going into liquidation as a mainland China-based “white knight” has successfully acquired its majority stake and resolved its major debts totalling about HK$2.2 billion.