To many, this may seem like the perfect job, stationed in front of a screen for a few hours of the day, maybe with a box of popcorn, before choosing which shows make the cut. But the reality is far from it.

Although content acquisition does require a certain amount of television watching, it also requires poring over statistics and a large amount of research.

'Deciding which programmes can fit into the right slot requires a lot of research and investigation. We are constantly trying to stay one step ahead of our rivals,' said Angela Fung, deputy head of Phoenix Chinese Channel, Phoenix Satellite Television, which runs five Mandarin language stations on the mainland and in Hong Kong, but broadcasts all over the world.

Over the past 10 years, as various commercial television stations and rival cable companies have sprung up, competition in the industry has become fierce.

Cecilia Tan, assistant controller of Television Broadcasts (TVB), said: 'Ten, 15 years ago, things [in the industry] were much simpler. You received a certain number of VHS tapes each week, watched them, and decided. Nowadays there is a massive amount of content made that has to be sifted through, and we are also in competition with many more stations, so you need to make sure you find that hidden gem before they do.'

The variety of channels has made both the selection and quality on our screens much better, thanks in large part to a more competitive and better structured content acquisition industry.

The selection process that each television station goes through is centred on a selection of annual fairs and exhibitions. For English programming, these generally take place in Los Angeles and in Britain, whereas Mandarin and Cantonese language stations tend to source regionally in Korea, Japan and the mainland, although they still attend some of the North American and European fairs.

From these fairs, stations choose several packages or individual programmes that they are interested in, and begin the screening process.

'People might think we simply choose what we like [to go on screen], but it's actually a mixture of intuition and maths. We look at a number of factors before a show makes it to the screen,' said Ms Tan.

Scheduling is one major factor, as matching programmes to certain timeframes and their corresponding demographics can make or break a show.

With more shows on offer at the same time, they need to stand out to attract viewers. Schedulers examine statistics with scientific accuracy to try and identify current and future trends, and decide who will watch their programmes.

The industry has been relatively stable for the past 10 years since the boom of private television stations in Hong Kong. But several factors are contributing to recent growth in the industry.

One of these is the rise of new media, both web and mobile based. These new platforms are diversifying the industry as providers are looking for a far wider range of content to appeal to a wide range of specific demographics. Content acquisition is becoming increasingly important in both areas.

'These [web and mobile platforms] are non-traditional platforms, where acquirers are maybe looking for short clips or something more innovative than the traditional television format. This can only be good for the industry as a whole as we gain more expertise,' Ms Tan said.

Digital broadcasting is also expected to have a major impact on the industry, while piling pressure on content acquirers.

'The future will be very different, even in a year from now, when digital arrives and people will be choosing what they want to pay for. As television stations grow, audiences have a wider range to choose from, meaning they will demand an ever-higher quality of programmes. And that is something we will have to deliver,' Ms Tan said.

Although the industry in the past has been relatively small, the rise of new media and digital broadcasting is resulting in an increasing number of employment opportunities. The lack of formal training in the area and the small number of jobs has made it difficult for fresh graduates to break into the sector. However, these new platforms mean that it is becoming far easier to acquire experience as the industry continues to grow.

key players

Scheduler

Administrative assistant

Programme officer

Senior programme officer

Manager

jargon

Platform refers to the type of broadcaster, such as Terrestrial (TVB) or Pan-Regional (AXN)

Window channels like to have

a certain amount of exclusivity on programmes they buy,

so they agree with production houses to have a period

where the programme is assigned only to them for broadcast

Holdback the opposite of a window is a holdback period, where a certain platform or channel is restricted from showing the programme until it enters their window