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SCMP Reporter

Football fans looking forward to the English Premier League (EPL) Asia Cup in Hong Kong next week and the start of the new EPL football season on August 11 will be able to watch clearer-than-ever pictures of the games.

PCCW's Now TV, which has taken over exclusive EPL broadcasting rights from I-cable Communications for three years, will introduce on its Now Sports channel Hong Kong's first high definition TV broadcast from tomorrow.

The HDTV service is believed to be the first in the world using the internet protocol television (IPTV) platform, such as the Star Group, will later offer HD-compatible programmes such as movies.

Now TV subscribers wishing to see the much clearer and more vivid pictures will have to pay for the pleasure. First, they must have an HD-compatible flat panel TV and a new Now TV set-top box.

Potential subscribers also will have to pay to connect to the broader bandwidth that HDTV requires.

With the channel's file size at 11 megabytes per second versus the standard TV's five megabytes, a source told Media Eye that HDTV requires more bandwith.

On top of that, HDTV subscribers will pay a premium over and above existing Now programme tariffs.

About 42 per cent of broadband users,  900,000 PCCW subscribers, are served by networks with HDTV capacity.

PCCW is seeking to extend its HDTV coverage to 1.6 million households by using a new compression technology.

Free English dailies to hit street

Two business groups each are planning to launch  a free English-language daily in Hong Kong, Media Eye has learned.

The paper would join three Chinese-language free newspapers - Metro Daily, Sing Tao News's Headline Daily and property agent Centaline Group's am730 - which distribute a combined one million copies every morning.

Market sources said two business plans for free English newspapers were being circulated in the market in a bid to raise financial support. No details were given as to who were behind the plans.

'There should be room for a free English newspaper in the city,' a newspaper executive told Media Eye yesterday. 'It could create a new market for advertisers that existing papers don't serve.'

HK Magazine, a free English weekly publication, 'generates around HK$10 million advertising revenue a year,' said Tsang Kam-keung, chief executive of media agent Group M Hong Kong.

Tom to co-run shopper TV show

Bringiton, a Swedish provider of television programmes, is to partner with Tom Group's China Entertainment Television, a satellite TV channel, to produce a shopping competition programme linking TV, internet and mobile phone services.

Big Time Spender will offer a platform for foreign brands to get into the mainland market.

The two partners are working with advertisers to co-develop content to integrate brands into programme episodes.

It is the first time Bringiton has developed jointly a programme with a mainland counterpart, chief executive Martin Gisselman announced.

Bringiton has arranged with Ericsson Internet Payment Exchange to provide payment and interactive services via short message service. Already available in 23 other countries, Ericsson's new service provides payments and connectivity to users on the go.



Now kicks off HDTV with soccer matches