An annual joint Canto-pop awards ceremony has been cancelled for the first time in 15 years because of TVB's long-running copyright dispute.
Yesterday, organisers TVB, RTHK, Commercial Radio and Metro Radio announced they would call off the Four Electronic Media Syndicated Awards.
The move followed complaints from music buffs that the exclusion from TVB's rankings of big-name artists from Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music and EMI made it less likely for them to win awards.
Singers from the four labels have not appeared on TVB since the copyright dispute began in December. They include superstars Eason Chan Yik-shun, Kay Tse On-kay, Hacken Lee and Jacky Cheung Hok-yau.
Normally awards are given to singers who have the best overall results in the four prize ceremonies held separately by the four organisers before the joint event.
RTHK Radio 2 deputy head Fung Wai-tong said the broadcaster had received huge numbers of inquiries from fans about the assessment standards for the ceremony. The inquiries led RTHK, this year's convenor, to call a meeting on Wednesday at which representatives voted to cancel the event.