Mainland Chinese TV station LeTV ‘has major plan for Hong Kong viewers’ amid reports of US$400m English Premier League deal
Mainland Chinese entertainment portal LeTV is confident it can keep its footing in Hong Kong’s pay-television market, its chief executive said, amid reports the station would pay US$400 million for the exclusive rights to broadcast English Premier League games in the city.
Mok Chui-tin, the station’s chief executive for Asia-Pacific, said Hong Kong’s market had much potential as its size was among the top two in the region.
The company launched its Hong Kong service last year by selling its 50-inch 4K television sets. It hopes to become one of the top three Hong Kong pay-TV services in a market dominated by i-Cable and Now TV.
Mok, speaking during a Commercial Radio programme, said the newcomer to the market would have a new mode of operation that would give Hong Kong viewers a totally new experience.
MORE: Why Premier League deal with LeTV might be good news for Hong Kong fans
For example, he said PCCW’s Now TV showed its programmes through internet protocol television, requiring viewers to tie their television service with an internet subscription. Mok said that limited the reach of Now TV’s programmes to viewers.
“Unless your internet service covers 100 per cent of the population,” he said.
Mok also praised Hong Kong Television’s Ricky Wong Wai-kay for implementing new models as the city’s first over-the-top television service provider. But Mok said HKTV’s drama shows were put onto its platform one episode after another rather than in complete series – a feature that remains the same as traditional TV services. “Internet users probably don’t really want this,” he said.
Mok added subscribers would be able to view all episodes of television dramas on LeTV at once.
When asked to confirm reports that LeTV is buying the rights to broadcast English Premier League matches in the city from next season, Mok said only that the company “has no further details” so far.
But he added the broadcaster would announce a “major plan for Hong Kong viewers” concerning its content.
Sports business news portal Sportscal earlier reported that LeTV will shell out more than double the US$200 million PCCW is now paying for their three-year deal with the EPL, which is in its final season.
