HONGKONG'S long-awaited pay-TV service has cleared a major hurdle towards its launch with Executive Councillors endorsing licensing conditions for the project.
Details of the proposals will be passed on to the Chinese side of the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group (JLG) by British team member Mr Alan Paul today, during the diplomatic body's weekly meeting.
It is understood the British side hopes an agreement can be reached with the Chinese in the JLG plenum, to be held next month.
With the 12-year licence being considered a kind of franchise by the Hongkong Government, it is understood local officials do not intend awarding it to lone bidder Wharf Cable until the move is endorsed by China.
It is understood that during Tuesday's Exco meeting, members decided to drop the idea of granting a provisional licence to allow the service to start up early. Instead, they considered that granting a permanent licence right away would be more appropriate.
However, with the Legislative Council still deliberating on the Television (Amendment) Bill, which will give the legislative framework for awarding a licence, Exco has reserved the right to reconsider granting a temporary licence if the Legco debate drags on into the autumn, when pay-TV is due to be launched.