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Denise Tsang

Sun Television Cybernetworks Holdings (Sun TV) is gearing up to spend about HK$102 million this year for programme content.

The broadcaster's executive chairman Bruno Wu Zheng yesterday said the figure included HK$90 million to boost history-related content on its satellite channel.

The rest of the money would be spent buying and producing travel and leisure-related content for its recently acquired Macau cable television channel.

Mr Wu said the company was repackaging the Macau channel and planned to re-launch the service within two months.

'We are talking to some international, well-known content providers about possible strategic co-operation or alliances,' he said.

The company, founded by Mr Wu's wife, former television talk show host Yang Lan, broadcasts its own television programmes in Hong Kong by means of a leased cable TV channel and in the mainland with satellite transmissions.

Unlike its multi-channel rivals such as Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings and News Corp's Satellite Television Asian Region (Star TV), Sun TV produces thematic programmes - mainly history-related - for sale and broadcast.

Mr Wu said the increase in expenditure could boost Sun TV's collection of television programmes to 40,000 titles by 2003 from the existing 10,000.

The increase in expenditure would be funded by internal resources and recurring advertising revenue, Mr Wu said.

'We have no problems raising funds,' he said.

He indicated it had HK$60 million on hand.

Mr Wu was hopeful Sun TV would hit break-even within 18 months since beginning operations last August.

'This is because we limit the spending at not more than HK$102 million on the core business and expect advertising revenue will go up substantially during the course of the coming months,' he said.

Mr Wu believed the regional advertising market, especially China, would see explosive growth in the coming two years as a result of the mainland's expected entry to the World Trade Organisation.

At present, advertising accounted for 90 per cent of the group's revenue.

Last month media revenue was HK$10 million.

In the final quarter last year media revenue stood at about HK$14 million.

However, in the six months to September 30 the company suffered a net loss of HK$63.1 million.



Sun TV lays out $102m for new programming