TVB plays charity card with pledge of HK$3m
Station promises all-out fundraising if next week's anniversary show hits viewership target
Top broadcaster TVB has pledged to donate at least HK$3 million to charity if the ratings for its 46th anniversary variety show on Tuesday top 30 points.
The station said it would donate HK$100,000 a point if the ratings reached 30, and HK$100,000 for each point thereafter - but nothing if 30 was not achieved.
Each point represents 64,200 viewers, so a rating of 30 means an audience of more than 1.9 million people.
An online campaign is already under way to drag the rating down even before the show airs. By last night, more than 20,000 users had "liked" a Facebook page urging people to track down the 800 households where TV meters were installed and to persuade them to boycott the show.
In two pledges this week, Chan initially said he would crawl home, and later said he would die, if the show achieved only two or three points. Those words also attracted a big response, with web users saying they hoped he would keep his promise.