Letters | Hong Kong must regulate streaming platforms and protect employees
- The lack of government oversight has infused the domain with an aura of the ‘wild wild west’, and fostered unhealthy labour practices
- The Hong Kong government should be more vigilant in monitoring internet TV, with a view towards protecting employees’ rights
I recall going through a mixed bag of emotions when, at the start of 2022, a former colleague at LeTV told me about a recurring nightmare lurking on the horizon.
It seemed that Sports 2 World (S2W), a subscription-based over-the-top (OTT) platform in Hong Kong that streams NBA games with Cantonese commentary, was having financial difficulties. Salary payments were reportedly a few months behind schedule.
Late last month one of its commentators posted on Facebook that he had finally received his June salary but had still not received the May salary.
The lack of government oversight has infused this domain with an aura of the “wild wild west”, and in the process insidiously normalised an abominable labour practice. Partly because of skyrocketing broadcast rights fees, and mostly because of advances in technology, the TV industry in Hong Kong has undergone unprecedented disruptions to its business model over the past decade.
OTT or stand-alone streaming platforms such as S2W and LeSports HK, the now-defunct Hong Kong arm of LeTV, both backed by capital from mainland China, deliver their programmes to viewers directly via the internet.