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Hong Kong's biggest pay-television provider, i-Cable Communications, is unlikely to cut prices this year, despite intense competition.

'Our business is developing steadily. We will try to keep the subscription fee at the same level this year,' chairman and chief executive officer Stephen Ng Tin-hoi  said yesterday.

He said cutting prices to compete  was not a good strategy.

'We do not see  any room for lowering prices. Cutting prices is not the best policy to attract customers, as service quality will surely be compromised if we lower the price. This is unfair to subscribers,'  Mr Ng said  after a announcing  a reorganisation of the company.

Cable TV has various subscription plans for its 700,000 subscribers, but the basic package, including news, film and sports channels, costs $308 a  month, excluding internet connection.

Rival providers, including PCCW, whose NOW Broadband TV service has over 500,000 subscribers, would not comment on their pricing strategies.

Mr Ng also said the company would focus more on promoting the basic $308 package, which includes nearly 100 channels, instead of selling mini-packages.

The firm reorganised its programme lineup into more than 20 mini-packages, featuring news, movies, entertainment and exclusive coverage of English Premier League football, last year.

Mini-packages are priced from under $100 each but users must subscribe to at least two packages. The minimum monthly charge for a non-football double package is $160, but football fans  pay at least $200 per month.

'Though the mini-packages attract a strong response from new subscribers, we will do more promotion on the more comprehensive package in 2006,' he said.

NOW Broadband TV's basic package costs $138 a month.

Television Broadcasts' pay-TV  venture SuperSun  charges between $148 and $168 for a monthly package, while Hong Kong Broadband's digital-TV pay service costs $88 a month for subscribers with a 12-month contract.



Cable TV shrugs off competition and unlikely to cut prices