LeTV to spend big on new shows in Hong Kong expansion

LeTV, one of mainland China's largest entertainment portals, is splashing out up to HK$1 million per episode on its locally produced television dramas as it woos Hong Kong audiences.

But even as one of its executives criticised local broadcaster TVB for being unoriginal, he was reluctant to offer many details about what his own company was making.

Mok Chui-tin, LeTV's chief executive for the Asia-Pacific region, said the company was spending big as a newcomer to the city's market, where he had frank criticism for one of his new competitors.

TVB "is using a factory-style approach to produce dramas and so the dramas' contents, costumes, settings and everything else are similar," Mok said. "Mass production means a lack of personality."

He said he often heard people ask why half the dramas in Hong Kong were crime shows. "That's because many of them are produced by the same person."

But Mok said he respected Ricky Wong Wai-kay, chairman and founder of online broadcaster HKTV, for producing high-quality dramas. He was speaking before new broke yesterday of Wong's takeover of ATV.

Mok's comments followed an announcement last week by American entertainment giant 21st Century Fox that its Fox International Channels would spend US$1 million per episode on one or two locally produced miniseries.