Games and quizzes set to be mainland money-spinners for TVB

Television Broadcasts (TVB), Hong Kong's largest television broadcaster, has found a way past mainland rules that bar foreign television channels airing in China without official approval. TVB, which sees a new revenue stream for its programme-licensing business, expects its legal quiz programme, Justice for All, to secure the company's first licensing deal in the mainland with Guangdong-based Foshan Television Station. Several similar deals are under negotiation. The move demonstrates TVB's new confidence in its programmes. 'In the past, we bought programme licences from foreign TV companies, such as the game show The Weakest Link and Who Wants to be a Millionaire, but now we are the source to offer programmes,' said Chan Chi-wan, TVB's general manager. TVB has increased the development of its non-drama programmes over past few years, resulting in shows such as Beautiful Cooking, a cooking competition involving female celebrities, and quiz games such as 15/16 also celebrity-based, and Justice for All. TVB owns the copyright to these programmes and can sell the licences to other television production companies. 'It's the right time for us to explore this revenue stream, as we have developed a handful of non-drama entertainment programmes over the past few years,' said Lau Kin-fai, controller of China business of TVB International. 'To maximise our revenue, we won't sell outright the copyright of each programme. Instead, we will have a revenue-sharing agreement on top of the programme licensing,' Mr Lau said. Based on the revenue sharing model, TVB can share the advertising revenue derived from the programmes and may leverage on the connection of local partners to jointly distribute programmes to the nation. TVB will provide a detailed guide book on each licensed programme to their clients. 'Our customers should follow the guide on the programme rundown and on how to decorate the studio stage,' Mr Chan said, although customers can localise content to fit audience tastes. Programme sales brought TVB HK$345 million in revenue in the first six months of this year, and profit of HK$206 million. free, but not easy to beat Ming Pao Daily News, which last week conceded that the growing popularity of free sheets had limited its advertising revenue, argues that the handout dailies do not hurt its circulation. More than 85 per cent of free-sheet readers still pay for daily newspapers, said Tiong Kiew-chiong, chief executive of Ming Pao Enterprise Corp, the publisher of Ming Pao Daily News. Even so, 'if all free newspapers' readers did not pay for newspapers, we might need to close down our business,' Mr Tiong said. He recognised that 'free' did not necessarily mean low-quality. 'The competition [of free dailies] in Hong Kong is quite different from other places. Have you heard of free papers offering quality journalism? Have you heard of free dailies providing door-to-door delivery service? In Hong Kong they are doing all these things.' Mr Tiong last week said Ming Pao's advertising revenue for the five months ended August recorded no growth over the same period last year. 'The lack of new property projects and the increasing market share of free dailies in the print advertising market limited our growth,' he said. Media Eye heard from his friends that they enjoyed reading am 730, a freebie produced by Shih Wing-ching, head of property agent Centaline Group, especially its centre-spread feature on topics that range from travel to interviews, while others loved to read the showbiz gossip in Headline Daily, Sing Tao News Corp's leader in the free newspaper market. As the free sheets become more easily available - Headline Daily can now be picked up in the lift lobbies of several residential estates - paid dailies such as Ming Pao can only strengthen their editorial content, and try to co-exist with the freebies. next aiming for the women Next Media's youth and trendy title Easy Finder, under a cloud of public hostility after it published photographs late last month of pop star Gillian Chung Yan-tung changing her clothes backstage, is seeking to revive its fortunes by replacing its leisure-focused Eat and Travel Weekly supplement with an insert aimed at attracting women readers. Easy Finder, Eat and Travel Weekly and a Trading Express classified supplement, sell together for HK$10. An announcement last week confirming the move did not disclose when the new title would be launched. 'The move indicates that Next Media wants to explore a new advertising revenue stream, as the advertising revenue may face further shrinkage in the future,' an advertising agent said. He believed that the launch of a women's title could be the last resort in turning round the embattled Easy Finder. About 3,000 people complained to the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority about the photograph of Chung, a member of the Twins bubble-gum duo, and Chung is reportedly taking legal action. The photographs were deemed obscene by the Obscene Articles Tribunal.