https://www.scmp.com/rss/310324/feed The latest news, analysis and opinion on HKTV. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Ambrose Li,Danny Mok Ambrose Li,Danny Mok The parent company of Hong Kong online retailer HKTVmall has defended its life science project involving testing the viability of detached animal heads and limbs, responding to animal ethics concerns by saying no pets were experimented on. The Hong Kong Technology Venture Company, which revealed the project in its annual results on Monday, said it believed the research to be a world first that could be applied to organ transplants, potentially extending human lifespan. “The related experiments... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348638/hktvmall-parent-firm-under-fire-testing-how-long-detached-animal-heads-can-survive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348638/hktvmall-parent-firm-under-fire-testing-how-long-detached-animal-heads-can-survive?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:14:21 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft In a month’s time, 22-year-old Hongkonger Tony Lam Chun-ho will be graduating from Polytechnic University with a degree in business administration. But instead of following his peers into a professional career, he is choosing to fight for the legacy of his family’s six-decade-old grocery store. Lam Kee Grocery Shop is one of only a handful of small businesses left in an area of the old Kowloon City neighbourhood facing imminent redevelopment, and the Gen Z Hongkonger is pulling out all the stops... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3330200/gen-z-hongkonger-fights-save-familys-60-year-old-lam-kee-grocery-amid-development?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3330200/gen-z-hongkonger-fights-save-familys-60-year-old-lam-kee-grocery-amid-development?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Oct 2025 01:00:13 +0000 Hong Kong’s e-commerce market has become too crowded for Alibaba Group Holding, according to analysts, as the Chinese internet retail giant moves to close its local Tmall platform at the end of October. Tmall Hong Kong, which was set up last year as a dedicated shopping channel for merchants and consumers in the city on Taobao Marketplace, will shut down operations on October 31, according to a notice posted on the platform last Friday. It said August 21 will serve as the last day for customers... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3186801/hong-kongs-online-retail-market-has-become-too-crowded-e-commerce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3186801/hong-kongs-online-retail-market-has-become-too-crowded-e-commerce?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Jul 2022 00:30:11 +0000 Analogue television broadcasting in Hong Kong will end for good in less than a month, on December 1. I wish to give some suggestions to three TV stations that still provide analogue service – RTHK, Hong Kong Open TV and TVB – regarding the termination. According to government statistics, we still have about 5 per cent of households who are not prepared for the termination of analogue service. Recently, the TV stations have put a countdown clock and a warning message on all analogue channels to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3108421/hong-kong-nears-digital-tv-switch-japan-shows-way-fond-farewells?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3108421/hong-kong-nears-digital-tv-switch-japan-shows-way-fond-farewells?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Nov 2020 05:00:08 +0000 Those of us who stayed in over the long weekend will no doubt have noticed the adverts for “myTV Gold”, TVB’s online pay TV platform – that is, those of us who still watch TVB. According to a survey by Nielsen, live television viewing is still predominant among Hong Kong viewers. But they are also consuming content across a spectrum of devices and platforms, particularly the so-called post-80s generations. Government statistics show that, between 2009 and 2017, the percentage of people who had... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3104492/hong-kong-remains-disconnected-digital-lifestyle-befitting-modern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3104492/hong-kong-remains-disconnected-digital-lifestyle-befitting-modern?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2020 22:45:13 +0000 Hongkongers spending their cash online while staying home to avoid the coronavirus have fuelled a record HK$1.2 billion in forecast orders for outspoken businessman Ricky Wong Wai-kay’s internet shopping platform, even as his flagship Hong Kong Television Network posted bigger annual losses. The network, which operates HKTV Mall, is set to increase its shopping revenue as Wong announced on Thursday it would start selling surgical masks in a couple of weeks after setting up its own production... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3077171/hongkongers-staying-home-avoid-covid-19-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3077171/hongkongers-staying-home-avoid-covid-19-are?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2020 14:48:11 +0000 Media tycoon Ricky Wong Wai-kay has quit his troubled quest to secure a free-to-air television licence for the ill-fated Hong Kong Television and vowed never to return to the broadcasting business. His remarks came on Tuesday as the publicly listed HKTV announced its annual results for 2017, revealing a staggering net loss of HK$204.9 million (US$26.1 million). The share price of HKTV had plunged by 14 per cent to HK$3.16 when markets closed on Tuesday. Explaining the reason to end his lifelong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2139149/hong-kong-media-maverick-ricky-wong-quits-free-air-tv-dream?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2139149/hong-kong-media-maverick-ricky-wong-quits-free-air-tv-dream?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Mar 2018 10:00:50 +0000 Fox Networks Group Asia, the multimedia arm of American media giant 21st Century Fox, has launched its video streaming platform Fox+ in Hong Kong – the latest entrant in a market overcrowded with television content providers. But Zubin Gandevia, president of Fox Networks Group Asia, said on Wednesday that Fox+ has an edge over its competitors because of its high-quality local television productions. Fox+ is already available in Taiwan, the Philippines and Singapore. A city of 7 million people,... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/2118084/andy-laus-wall-street-style-tv-series-trading-floor-secret-weapon-fox-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/2118084/andy-laus-wall-street-style-tv-series-trading-floor-secret-weapon-fox-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Nov 2017 05:16:37 +0000 Hong Kong Television Network (HKTV) executive director and chairman Ricky Wong Wai-kay agreed to sell his entire 1.88 per cent stake of the broadcaster to a substantial shareholder of another company he co-owns,according to a filing to the stock exchange on Sunday. Wong, a media maverick in a legal battle with the Hong Kong government to secure a free-to-air TV license, on Saturday sold his entire stake in the listed TV operator at HK$2.77 per share to Top Group, the substantial shareholder of... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2107558/media-maverick-ricky-wong-sells-hktv-stake-affiliated-company?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2107558/media-maverick-ricky-wong-sells-hktv-stake-affiliated-company?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Aug 2017 13:26:13 +0000 Media tycoon Ricky Wong Wai-kay is considering scrapping plans to run TV stations in the city, saying that the market had dramatically changed during his long battle to secure a free-to-air TV licence. Wong said in a statement on Friday, when his Hong Kong Television Network announced its interim results, that the company will “review the commercial viability” of operating free TV and mobile TV channels and will come to a decision in the next few months. Victory for Hong Kong media maverick... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2107423/hong-kong-media-mogul-ricky-wong-may-give-free-air-tv-dream?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2107423/hong-kong-media-mogul-ricky-wong-may-give-free-air-tv-dream?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Aug 2017 01:02:13 +0000 Media maverick Ricky Wong Wai-kay’s battle to secure a free-to-air TV licence received a boost on Thursday when the telecommuncations watchdog approved his long-running application to upgrade the resolution of his mobile TV service. The Communications Authority’s announcement reversed a High Court ruling of two years ago, in which the judge rejected a judicial review brought by Hong Kong Television Network (HKTV) and Hong Kong Mobile Television Network (HKMTV) – both chaired by Wong – against... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2102577/victory-hong-kong-media-maverick-mobile-tv-battle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2102577/victory-hong-kong-media-maverick-mobile-tv-battle?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jul 2017 15:24:52 +0000 Hong Kong’s outgoing commerce minister said on Monday he personally believed ill-fated broadcaster HKTV should have been granted a TV licence, a view which runs counter to that of his boss, Chief Executive Leung Chun-Ying. Greg So Kam-leung, who will be leaving his post at the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau next month, revealed he almost cried over nearly four years ago when he had to announce the government’s “collective decision” on HKTV which would put some 300 of the company’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2099054/hong-kong-government-should-have-granted-hktv-free-air?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2099054/hong-kong-government-should-have-granted-hktv-free-air?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jun 2017 14:15:45 +0000 Media entrepreneur Ricky Wong Wai-kay has panned new free-to-air TV station ViuTV for its lack of local elements, saying it “has no guts and no commitment” to Hong Kong. A truly committed free TV station should have placed its focus on producing dramas – which involved more resources and manpower – rather than variety shows, the HKTV boss said. In 2013 the Executive Council contentiously turned down the free-to-air licence application by HKTV, which has produced a number of local dramas. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1958604/no-guts-and-no-commitment-hong-kong-media-boss-ricky-wongs-damning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1958604/no-guts-and-no-commitment-hong-kong-media-boss-ricky-wongs-damning?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 May 2016 10:00:30 +0000 Media tycoon Ricky Wong Wai-kay’s long-running battle to ­secure a share of the free-to-air television market suffered ­another setback yesterday as the Court of Appeal quashed a lower court’s decision to have his ­licence application reconsidered. The three-judge appellate court unanimously overturned a Court of First Instance ruling that the Executive Council had failed to follow the pro-competition 1998 reform ­– banning preset limits on the number of licensees – when it rejected the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1933981/court-appeal-quashes-lower-courts-ruling-hktvs-licence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1933981/court-appeal-quashes-lower-courts-ruling-hktvs-licence?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Apr 2016 07:35:37 +0000 Hong Kong Television Network said the group’s losses for last year are expected to increase more than 200 per cent, based on a preliminary assessment of its unaudited consolidated financial statements. In a company filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Tuesday, HKTV blamed the spike in losses to the impairment loss on assets resulting from the uncertainties in the media business and increases in programming costs. It also said revenue from licensing of programme rights and net advertising... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1925181/more-200pc-jump-losses-warns-hong-kong-television-network?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1925181/more-200pc-jump-losses-warns-hong-kong-television-network?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Mar 2016 05:26:01 +0000 In a blow to Hong Kong Television Network's hopes of finally being granted a free-to-air television licence, a judge yesterday temporarily halted his earlier order for the Executive Council to reconsider the station's failed bid. Granting Exco a stay of execution, Mr Justice Thomas Au Hing-cheung accepted that public resources - such as time and costs - could be wasted if Exco's appeal, scheduled for February 17, was successful or should the appeal court order the licence application process... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1871111/pause-button-hong-kong-judge-puts-hktv-licence-ruling-hold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1871111/pause-button-hong-kong-judge-puts-hktv-licence-ruling-hold?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Oct 2015 16:00:42 +0000 Technology and media entrepreneur Ricky Wong Wai-kay yesterday dropped a strong hint that he voted for Leung Chun-ying when he served on the Election Committee that chose the chief executive in 2012.  The revelation, if confirmed, is likely to be seen as the latest in a series of decisions that have not produced the result Wong would have wanted.  In 2013, the Executive Council, chaired by Leung, denied Wong's HKTV the free-to-air television licence he craved, sparking protests. But in April,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1848181/hktv-chief-ricky-wong-hints-he-voted-cy-leung-2012-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1848181/hktv-chief-ricky-wong-hints-he-voted-cy-leung-2012-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Aug 2015 07:15:00 +0000 TVB could be in breach of telecoms laws if it refuses to lease transmission stations to Hong Kong Television Network for its mobile TV broadcasts, the Communications Authority has warned. TVB announced last month it had terminated an agreement with China Mobile Hong Kong Corporation (CMHKC), which has been acquired by HKTV, to lease six hilltop transmission stations with effect from July, with no new agreement in place. The move left a question mark over HKTV's ability to transmit its mobile... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1429103/warning-tvb-over-talks-hktv?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1429103/warning-tvb-over-talks-hktv?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Feb 2014 21:00:15 +0000 It should come as no surprise that Jenny Ng Pui-ying, the consultant who said the government had misquoted her company's assessment of the TV market during the row over free-to-air licences last year, has finally done the honourable thing and quit her job. Clearly, Ng, the managing partner of Value Partners, must have realised she had committed the cardinal sin of speaking out against one's client, and that this was uncalled for. I see no logical reason for politicians to demand an explanation... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1425255/consultant-tv-licence-row-was-right-quit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1425255/consultant-tv-licence-row-was-right-quit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Feb 2014 11:15:45 +0000 Did the Heritage Foundation ever send its experts into the streets of Hong Kong to meet ordinary people and ask them how free the city's economy has become in recent years? The right-wing US think tank ranked Hong Kong the world's freest economy for the 20th consecutive year last week, but many expatriates and locals in the city are taking the survey result as a bit of a joke. There are a tonne of examples we could use to tell the Heritage Foundation the real story of Hong Kong's so-called "free... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1409190/hong-kongs-top-ranking-economic-freedom-feels-good-laugh?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1409190/hong-kongs-top-ranking-economic-freedom-feels-good-laugh?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jan 2014 16:15:45 +0000 China Mobile has launched an investigation into its Hong Kong subsidiary's mobile television deal with Ricky Wong Wai-kay's Hong Kong Television Network, saying it might violate mainland rules. But HKTV said its agreement with China Mobile Hong Kong Corporation had "concluded". And a China analyst said any inquiry by the parent company was unlikely to result in a reversal of the deal. State-owned China Mobile made the announcement on its website last night, saying it would launch an internal... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1398739/china-mobile-launches-investigation-hktv-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1398739/china-mobile-launches-investigation-hktv-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Jan 2014 20:00:45 +0000 Hong Kong Television Network chief Ricky Wong Wai-kay has dominated RTHK's Icon of the Year poll, claiming three prizes as he continues his fight for a free-to-air television licence. A total of 21,071 votes were cast online for eight categories in the annual survey organised by RTHK Radio 2 earlier this month. "I would not choose myself. It should be [US National Security Agency whistle-blower] Edward Snowden … What he has done had an impact on the entire world. Even my mother asked me who he... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1393340/hktvs-ricky-wong-wins-big-annual-icon-year-poll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1393340/hktvs-ricky-wong-wins-big-annual-icon-year-poll?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Dec 2013 13:34:30 +0000 Business and politics are inevitably intertwined. But is this the case with Ricky Wong Wai-kei and his dramatic bid for a licence to fulfil his TV dream? It must have been a roller-coaster ride for Wong, chairman of Hong Kong Television Network, over the past few months. First, his bid for a free-to-air television licence was rejected by the government in October, triggering massive protests. The Legislative Council even tried, unsuccessfully, to invoke its Power and Privileges Ordinance to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1392656/can-politics-be-separated-tv-station-ownership?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1392656/can-politics-be-separated-tv-station-ownership?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Dec 2013 21:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong Television Network chairman Ricky Wong Wai-kay says the company will press ahead with its broadcasting plans, despite the rejection of its bid for a free-to-air licence, by launching TV services that can be viewed through the internet from July 1. HKTV will begin offering content on three to five channels in the form of what is known as "over-the-top content", similar to that offered by Netflix, Hulu and WhereverTV. "Hong Kong needs free television," Wong said yesterday. "Free isn't... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1386872/ricky-wong-abandons-free-tv-dream-digital-one-hktv-relaunch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1386872/ricky-wong-abandons-free-tv-dream-digital-one-hktv-relaunch?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Dec 2013 11:53:26 +0000 Let's not misuse our right to freedom of expression to protest against or attack others purely for self-interest; we need to think of the people's interest first. Clearly, the dispute between TVB and Next Media is not about "freedom of the press" or "freedom of expression". It is merely a company's decision against an unfriendly rival that is threatening its business. In this case, it was telling viewers to switch off their television sets in order to reduce a show's ratings without reasonable... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1371695/what-price-freedom-expression?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1371695/what-price-freedom-expression?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Dec 2013 02:45:45 +0000 The row over free-television licences continued yesterday as the commerce minister rejected a consultancy's allegations that the government misquoted its report to justify rejecting Hong Kong Television Network's (HKTV) application. Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Greg So Kam-leung said the administration regretted the claims made by Value Partners two weeks ago. The firm's managing partner Jenny Ng Pui-ying accused the government on November 18 of changing its policy... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1371385/commerce-minister-greg-so-hits-back-row-over-tv-licences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1371385/commerce-minister-greg-so-hits-back-row-over-tv-licences?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Dec 2013 15:15:15 +0000 In his letter ("No need for HKTV to hire 500 staff before licences were awarded", November 14), Tony Harding writes that, "when HKTV applied for a licence it knew the process, and so did Legco". That's true. But the problem is that the process was not followed. There would have been few complaints if the process had been followed, if natural justice had been observed, and the government had not refused to explain the final allocation of licences in a clear, simple way. The applicant was led to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1362374/due-process-flouted-tv-licence-saga?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1362374/due-process-flouted-tv-licence-saga?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Nov 2013 18:16:35 +0000 When the controversy over Hong Kong Television Network (HKTV) not being granted a free-to-air TV licence started, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said secrecy in Executive Council policy decisions was part of Hong Kong's system of governance under the "one country, two systems" principle. A motion to invoke Legco's powers to make Exco explain its decision on the awarding of only two instead of three free-to-air licences would have been a departure from this pre-1997 Exco tradition if... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1360710/exco-must-engage-public?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1360710/exco-must-engage-public?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2013 19:21:44 +0000 The consultancy that wrote the report on free-to-air television licences said it did not mind burning its bridges with the government because the decision to reject Hong Kong Television Network's bid was unjust. "This government didn't do its homework. It changed the rules of the game without consultation. As a Hongkonger, I must speak up," Value Partners Asia managing partner Jenny Ng Pui-ying said. "I don't mind if I don't get business from the government any more," she said. "When I decided... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1359868/consultancy-says-tv-licence-decision-unfair-and-it-must-speak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1359868/consultancy-says-tv-licence-decision-unfair-and-it-must-speak?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Nov 2013 21:15:45 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's claim that the Executive Council acted like a jury when it considered free-to-air television licence applications was a "stupid analogy", a former member of the government's top advisory body said. Allen Lee Peng-fei was one of several current and former Exco members to dismiss Leung's explanation for Exco's refusal to reveal details of its rationale for snubbing Hong Kong Television Network's licence bid while approving two other applications from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1359716/former-executive-council-members-say-advisory-body-not-jury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1359716/former-executive-council-members-say-advisory-body-not-jury?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Nov 2013 21:15:45 +0000 To a media veteran who led RTHK for 13 years, Ricky Wong Wai-kay's failure to get a free-television licence for his station came as no surprise. The outcome was obvious to former broadcasting director Cheung Man-yee back in 2010, after Wong applied for a licence. But it was ridiculous that the government cited a fear of "cutthroat competition" in throwing out his bid, she said yesterday. "I told other people three years ago that Wong must not get a licence," Cheung said in a public talk at... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1357256/hktv-doomed-fail-start-ex-rthk-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1357256/hktv-doomed-fail-start-ex-rthk-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Nov 2013 20:45:15 +0000 Moderate pan-democrats have issued a joint letter to the head of the central government's liaison office protesting against its alleged intervention in Hong Kong affairs, in particular over the television licence saga. The letter from 23 pan-democrats - excluding four radicals in the camp - was written to liaison office director Zhang Xiaoming, after two pro-Beijing lawmakers revealed they had been approached by the office ahead of the Legislative Council free-to-air television licence... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1357246/pan-democrats-slam-liaison-office-intervention-free-air-tv-licence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1357246/pan-democrats-slam-liaison-office-intervention-free-air-tv-licence?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Nov 2013 20:45:15 +0000 The performance of lawmakers during last week's vote on the television licence row has raised questions about how well functional constituency legislators represent their electors. Calls are also growing for reform of the constituencies to make them more representative in preparation for universal suffrage in 2020. At least two of the indirectly elected lawmakers are under fire from voters for abstaining from the vote on the failed motion to invoke the Legislative Council's powers to investigate... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1356926/voters-annoyed-representatives-not-voting-tv-licence-issue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1356926/voters-annoyed-representatives-not-voting-tv-licence-issue?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Nov 2013 20:45:15 +0000 Leung Chun-ying yesterday sought to downplay the impact on his governance of the massive protests over television licensing and his administration's resulting plunge in popularity. The chief executive said licensing was a complex issue that the public would take time to understand. Leung was speaking a day after the latest University of Hong Kong poll showed public approval of the government plunged to a 20-year low in the first half of this month. "We should not read too far into the comments... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1356943/cy-leung-warns-against-linking-hktv-row-governance-issues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1356943/cy-leung-warns-against-linking-hktv-row-governance-issues?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Nov 2013 12:48:28 +0000 A pro-Beijing political figure on Thursday criticised Executive Council convener Lam Woon-kwong for “saying a little too much” about the television licence saga. Ng Hon-mun, a former deputy to the National People’s Congress, said Lam, as convener of the chief executive’s top advisory body, should follow the government’s mind. If Lam’s view was at odds with the administration, it would “not be very good” for him to speak out openly, Ng said after a lunch on Thursday. Lam on Sunday urged Chief... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1355943/pro-beijing-ng-critical-exco-conveners-hktv-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1355943/pro-beijing-ng-critical-exco-conveners-hktv-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Nov 2013 10:02:45 +0000 The Communications Authority was wrong to recommend awarding three new free-to-air television licences; the government was right to reject such advice. While it is good to have more choice, what good is it when that means choosing between "bad" and "worse" programmes? Five TV stations will water down the quality of Hong Kong's television programmes further, as more bad programmes will be made because of the smaller budgets available to all. The government was right when it said its decision... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1355234/low-bar-new-tv-stations-will-mean-poor-programmes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1355234/low-bar-new-tv-stations-will-mean-poor-programmes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Nov 2013 10:15:15 +0000 Last Wednesday, I went to the HKTV protest. I did not go out of concerns over the erosion of Hong Kong's free market or the government's lack of transparency - both very valid reasons. Instead, I went for my children. I teach Hong Kong teenagers every day and I see at first hand the effects of this city's limited local television. Hong Kong teenagers will tell you exactly what's happening on Glee and Pretty Little Liars. But ask them about Triumph in the Skies II, the top TVB show, and they'll... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1354385/we-need-better-local-tv-give-our-children-sense-belonging?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1354385/we-need-better-local-tv-give-our-children-sense-belonging?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Nov 2013 10:45:30 +0000 Cultural and sports lawmaker Ma Fung-kwok is under fire as he was accused of betraying Hong Kong's creative sector in the free-TV licence row and the Hong Kong Ballet censorship scandal. Eleven Hong Kong film industry associations yesterday issued a joint statement demanding Ma quit. They condemned him for abstaining in the vote for a Legco inquiry into the government decision to reject the licence application from Ricky Wong Wai-kay's Hong Kong Television Network. The vote failed. Meanwhile,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1353561/entertainment-sector-legislator-urged-step-over-tv-licence-vote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1353561/entertainment-sector-legislator-urged-step-over-tv-licence-vote?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Nov 2013 11:24:08 +0000 Lam Woon-kwong's call for a review of the vetting process that led to the controversial decision to issue only two free-to-air TV licences was brushed aside yesterday by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and other members of his cabinet. One Exco member said Lam, as Exco convenor, should refrain from uttering such criticism in public, while others said the decision to deny Hong Kong Television Network a licence did not go against public opinion. Leung again maintained that procedural justice had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1353402/cy-leung-says-tv-licence-decision-process-followed-existing-laws-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1353402/cy-leung-says-tv-licence-decision-process-followed-existing-laws-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Nov 2013 08:13:28 +0000 Google's chairman Eric Schmidt is a truly busy man. But still I managed to grab him for a 30-minute interview during his recent visit to Hong Kong - a city he says he is a big fan of, though one he feels now faces more challenges than opportunities. I have already written about Schmidt's request to Beijing to allow people to think and speak more freely; as well as his worries about Hong Kong's shortage of software engineers - a major reason, he says, why Hong Kong can only be a financial centre,... https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1352748/try-downloading-some-fresh-thinking-googles-tip-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1352748/try-downloading-some-fresh-thinking-googles-tip-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Nov 2013 21:17:05 +0000 In Hong Kong, it's no longer clear who is governing. The ongoing free-to-air TV licence fiasco is just one glaring case in point. Some people keep asking why the government granted only two licences instead of three, denying one to Hong Kong Television Network. If this is a valid question, then why not grant four or, for that matter, 400 licences? An inexperienced and underfinanced set-up with an ambitious plan of operating 30 channels clearly deserved to be thrown out. But there are people who... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1349933/opponents-may-regret-forcing-wounded-leung-corner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1349933/opponents-may-regret-forcing-wounded-leung-corner?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Nov 2013 12:39:17 +0000 The motion to invoke special powers to investigate the HKTV licence saga was defeated in the Legislative Council late Thursday afternoon following two days of debate. The motion, raised by information technology sector lawmaker Charles Mok, was passed by directly-elected lawmakers in the geographical constituencies, but was rejected by legislators representing functional constituencies. For a lawmaker’s motion to pass, it has to pass in both constituencies. The government probably feels that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1349914/legco-bid-hktv-licence-probe-defeated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1349914/legco-bid-hktv-licence-probe-defeated?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Nov 2013 10:00:45 +0000 A pro-government lawmaker who voted for a Legislative Council investigation bid into the free-to-air television licence saga admitted he had been approached by the central government's liaison office. Dr Leung Ka-lau, of the medical sector, said the mainland officials had no view either way about whether Hong Kong Television Network should be awarded a free-to-air licence. But they were concerned that a policy U-turn would harm the government. "I was approached for discussion by some frontline... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1349795/liaison-office-sounded-out-legco-members-tv-licence-probe-vote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1349795/liaison-office-sounded-out-legco-members-tv-licence-probe-vote?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Nov 2013 07:30:00 +0000 Three weeks after the government’s controversial decision, veterans familiar with the television industry remained divided over whether officials made the right choice in denying Hong Kong Television Network’s (HKTV) application for a free-to-air licence, while approving that of i-Cable and PCCW’s subsidiaries. On Sunday, Exco convenor Lam Woon-kwong cited the view of the government’s consultant that, based on existing advertising revenue, the market could “barely support” two new players, in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1347762/tv-industry-still-divided-over-hktvs-licence-rejection?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1347762/tv-industry-still-divided-over-hktvs-licence-rejection?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Nov 2013 14:00:04 +0000 Exco convenor Lam Woon-kwong has given the most detailed account yet of why Hong Kong Television Network's (HKTV) application for a free-to-air licence was rejected - three days ahead of a crucial vote by lawmakers on the issue. Lam said the government had taken a "cautious" approach in denying HKTV's application while approving those of subsidiaries of i-Cable and PCCW. He cited the view of the government's consultant that, based on existing advertising revenue, the market could "barely... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1346922/exco-chief-says-hktv-decision-reflected-cautious-approach-local?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1346922/exco-chief-says-hktv-decision-reflected-cautious-approach-local?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Nov 2013 22:15:15 +0000 Pan-democrats are planning to try again in the Legislative Council to force the government to disclosure documents related to its rejection of Hong Kong Television Network’s free-to-air licence application. A motion to invoke Legco powers to investigate the government’s decision was tabled by lawmaker Charles Mok and defeated last Friday. Mok, who represents the information technology functional constituency, is again planning to raise the motion at a general meeting in Legco on November 6, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1341879/lawmakers-will-try-again-hktv-licence-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1341879/lawmakers-will-try-again-hktv-licence-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Oct 2013 08:45:45 +0000 One of the chief executive's closest aides believes the television licensing issue could be put before the Executive Council again, and said the government was monitoring the city's reaction to its decision to leave HKTV out of the picture. Executive Councillor Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun, who headed Leung Chun-ying's office when he was chief executive-elect, said: "I believe Exco could have a chance to discuss the licence issue again." When Law - who said on Wednesday that there was no room for a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1339052/tv-licensing-could-be-discussed-again-wake-hktv-snub-fury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1339052/tv-licensing-could-be-discussed-again-wake-hktv-snub-fury?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Oct 2013 15:45:45 +0000 After being allegedly targeted by blackmailers not once but twice, the unfortunate film crew shooting Hollywood's latest Transformers movie in Hong Kong faces a new dilemma: the HKTV protest. The action was due to move to the government headquarters in Tamar tomorrow - only the ongoing Hong Kong Television Network (HKTV) protest may not be over by then. Transformers: Age of Extinction, the fourth in a series of alien robot movies, got approval to film at the Legislative Council building from 8am... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1339054/just-hollywood-scene?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1339054/just-hollywood-scene?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Oct 2013 15:45:30 +0000 Tens of thousands of protesters in black T-shirts marched to the government headquarters in Admiralty yesterday claiming that the decision to deny Hong Kong Television Networks (HKTV) a free-to-air TV licence was a threat to the city's core values. HKTV chairman Ricky Wong Wai-kay, who did not take part in the rally, said the issue was no longer about giving viewers more choice but whether the authorities respected people's needs and whether Hong Kong was still governed by the rule of law. About... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1336074/thousands-protest-defend-hong-kongs-core-values-after-failed-hktv?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1336074/thousands-protest-defend-hong-kongs-core-values-after-failed-hktv?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Oct 2013 21:00:45 +0000