Star TV has come under fire for pulling the plug on seven of the eight channels that about 1,000 Hong Kong families have been receiving - two years after selling them expensive devices to watch the services.
Householders have been told that on Monday morning the station will axe its transmission of Star Sports, the international movie channel, Sky News and Fox News, National Geographic, Channel V International and British channel UKTV.
Star said last night the eight-channel service was only ever a trial, which was being abandoned because Star no longer intended to enter the pay-TV market in Hong Kong. It said viewers had only paid for the one remaining channel, Star World, and had been receiving the other seven as a 'free bonus' for two years.
But disgruntled customers said they were never told that the service was a trial and believed that when they bought digital receivers - costing more than $3,500 - they were paying for all eight channels.
'I'm very cross. It's very, very short notice, they're not replacing it with anything and I just feel it's a bit high-handed,' said Jennifer Tuke, who lives near the Lok Ma Chau border crossing. 'They did not say these channels were a trial or a bonus, and if that had been known I would have had grave doubts about buying the digital receiver.'
Star World features a mainly American content, with shows such as Baywatch, Ally McBeal, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Oprah Winfrey Show.