Asia Television Limited (, also known as ATV) is a
digital media
Digital media is any communication media that operate in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital media can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and preserved on a digital electronics device. ' ...
and
broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...
company in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. Established as the first television service in Hong Kong as
Rediffusion Television
Rediffusion Television (RTV) was the first television station in Hong Kong, making it both the first British colony and the first predominantly ethnically Chinese city to have television.Kitley, Philip. 003(2003). Television, Regulation and ...
() on 29 May 1957, it shifted to
terrestrial television
Terrestrial television or over-the-air television (OTA) is a type of television broadcasting in which the signal transmission occurs via radio waves from the terrestrial (Earth-based) transmitter of a TV station to a TV receiver having an ant ...
on 30 November 1973, and was renamed Asia Television on 24 September 1982. ATV operated two main over-the-air channels: the Cantonese-language
ATV Home
ATV Home () was a free-to-air Cantonese television channel in Hong Kong, owned and operated by Asia Television. It was formed in September 1963 as a result of the split of the bilingual Rediffusion Television subscription service (which was pri ...
and the English-language
ATV World
ATV World, was one of two free-to-air English language television channels in Hong Kong, the other being its arch-rival TVB Pearl. Its sister station, ATV Home, broadcast in Cantonese language. It is owned and operated by Asia Television, a ...
.
Despite its relatively small market share, ATV received numerous awards for its programmes. One of its successes was the
local version of the British game show ''
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and ...
'' in 2001, which allowed ATV to enjoy a short-term upturn in its viewing figures. After 2000, ATV faced a gradual decline in production quality and
viewership
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites. Somet ...
, as well as financial difficulties—a process hastened under the leadership of Wang Zheng. ATV's credibility was severely damaged in 2011 after its news department had falsely reported that
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and as pres ...
had died.
On 1 April 2015, Hong Kong's
Executive Council announced that ATV's broadcast license would not be renewed. ATV's channels ceased over-the-air transmission on 1 April 2016.
ATV announced that it planned to continue its business as a digital and satellite broadcaster. Plans for the company's
subscription-based internet content streaming operations were announced in December 2017.
History
1949–1981: Early years
Rediffusion Television
Rediffusion Television (RTV) was the first television station in Hong Kong, making it both the first British colony and the first predominantly ethnically Chinese city to have television.Kitley, Philip. 003(2003). Television, Regulation and ...
(RTV), the predecessor to ATV, began as a wired radio broadcasting service in 1949.
[Kitley, Philip. ]003 003, O03, 0O3, OO3 may refer to:
*003, fictional British 00 Agent
*003, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian ambulance service (until 1986)
*1990 OO3, the asteroid 6131 Towen
* OO3 gauge model railway
*''O03 (O2)'' and other related ...
(2003). Television, Regulation and Civil Society in Asia. Routledge. The original office was located on Arsenal Street and Hennessy Road. It launched its subscription-based TV service on 29 May 1957. In 1959, Rediffusion was moved to the offices that was occupied by Fortis Bank Tower.
In 1962,
Typhoon Wanda passed over Hong Kong, resulting in hundreds of deaths. Following the passage of Wanda, Rediffusion broadcast the first-ever fund-raising special. The first televised artiste course broadcast was in 1966 under the title, "Ying Li's voice."
In October 1968, new shows were broadcast on Rediffusion, including variety, sports, and other leisure of interest that attracted more viewers. The most notable show at that time was "
Master Q". It also led the trend in acquiring Japanese anime shows, including
Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...
's ''
Astro Boy
''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 ''tankōbon'' vo ...
'' in 1966.
Rediffusion was given a
free-to-air
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the FTA Receiver, appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring ...
television broadcasting licence in 1973 by the Hong Kong Government, which had switched to using the wireless television. Rediffusion (later ATV) and
TVB
Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. The Company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Cantonese language service, and TVB ...
(launched on 19 November 1967) have since formed a duopoly in free-to-air terrestrial TV broadcasting in Hong Kong for more than 40 years. A third broadcaster,
Commercial Television
Commercial broadcasting (also called private broadcasting) is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship. It was the United States′ first model of radio (an ...
, entered the market in September 1975, but in the face of intense competition from the two rival broadcasters, ceased transmissions in August 1978.
In 1976, the Hong Kong government introduced
Mark Six
Mark Six () is a lottery game organised by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
History
The first iteration of Mark Six, known as in Chinese (), was launched on 5 September 1975, in an effort to battle the then-popular tse fa () illegal lottery draws. ...
, a new lottery system that was broadcast twice a week on Rediffusion. The first host of that show was
Chun Chau Ha
Chun may refer to:
Places
* Chun River in Thailand
* Chun District in Phayao Province, Thailand
* Chûn Castle, a hillfort in the United Kingdom
* Commandery (China) (), an administrative division of imperial China
People and names
* Jeon (Ko ...
or
Xia Chunqiu
Xia (Hsia in Wade–Giles) may refer to:
Chinese history
* Xia dynasty (c. 2070 – c. 1600 BC), the first orthodox dynasty in Chinese history
* Xia (Sixteen Kingdoms) (407–431), a Xiongnu-led dynasty
* Xia (617–621), a state founded by Dou Ji ...
( zh, t=夏春秋).
1981–2002: Development
In 1981,
Rediffusion
Rediffusion was a business that distributed radio and TV signals through wired relay networks. The business gave rise to a number of other companies, including Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, the first ITV (commercia ...
in the UK sold 61% of its shares in RTV to an Australian consortium. In July 1982, a Chinese enterprise called Far East Group ( zh, t=遠東機構), owned by the Chiu family, took a stake in the company, such that Far East Group and the Australian consortium each held 50% of RTV's shares. The move marked the first time that a Chinese enterprise had played a role in RTV. RTV was renamed "Asia Television" later in the same year.
[''ATV 46th Anniversary Retrospective'' (2003), p.34] The company that operated ATV frequently recorded losses, and in January 1984, following the withdrawal of the Australian enterprise, the Chiu family bought all of the shares.
In August 1987, the shares of ATV were put up for sale. One year later, Asia Television Limited, the Lim family (led by
Lim Por-yen
Lim Por-yen (; c. 1914 – 18 February 2005) was a Hong Kong industrialist. He founded the Lai Sun Group, and his family was the biggest shareholder of Asia Television.
Biography
Lim Por-yen was born in Chaoyang, Guangdong, and moved to Hong ...
), and the
New World Group each owned one-third of the shares. At that time, the members of board of directors included
Deacon Chiu
Deacon Chiu Te-ken, JP (; 1 May 1924 – 17 March 2015) was a Hong Kong entrepreneur. He founded Far East Bank and Far East Consortium and was formerly chairman of Asia Television (ATV).
Life
Chiu was born in Shanghai in 1924 and moved to Hong ...
, Lim Por-yen,
Fang Li and
Cheng Yu-tung
Cheng Yu-tung GBM (; 8 August 1925 – 29 September 2016) was a Hong Kong billionaire with extensive property investment, development and service businesses, hotels, infrastructure, jewellery retailing and transportation interests in Hong Kong, ...
.
On 30 January 1989, the Chiu family sold its shares of ATV to New World Group and
Lai Sun Group
Lai Sun Group () is a Hong Kong conglomerate. It was founded by garment billionaire and entrepreneur, Lim Por-yen. Its businesses include property development, real estate investment, hotel, telecom, mass media and entertainment. Lai Sun is work ...
for
HK$
The Hong Kong dollar (, sign: HK$; code: HKD) is the official currency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is subdivided into 100 cents or 1000 mils. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is the monetary authority of Hong Kong and ...
237.5 million. The New World Group held half of the shares, while the Lam family owned one-third and Lai Sun held one-sixth. At the same time,
Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau
The Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau, SA; abbreviated as STDM, (, English: "Tourism and Entertainment Company of Macau Limited") is a company in Macau owned by Stanley Ho and his family. Historically, it held a monopoly to Macau's ga ...
(STDM) joined as a minority shareholder. As announced by the board of directors, the new chairman was Cheng Yue-tung and the vice-chairman was Lim Por Yen. The Administrative Director was
Selina Chow
Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee (; born 25 January 1945) is a former Hong Kong television executive and politician. She was a member of the Legislative Council for nearly three decades, and was also a member of the Executive Council. She is honorar ...
.
2002–2010: Ownership shift
In November 2002, Lai Sun Development, which was heavily indebted following the HK$7 billion acquisition of the
Furama Hotel
The Furama Hotel () was a 33-storey hotel in Central, Hong Kong, located at 1 Connaught Road Central. The site is now occupied by the AIA Central office building.
History
The Furama Hotel was designed by Eric Cumine Associates and built for th ...
at the height of the property bubble in 1997, announced that it would sell its 32.75% stake to the company's chief executive,
Chan Wing-kee
Chan Wing-kee, (; born January 1947) is a Hong Kong businessman and politician. He is the current member of the standing committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). He had also been Hong Kong deputy of the National ...
(陳永棋), for HK$360 million in cash.
In June 2007, Chan, along with Liu Changle (劉長樂), chairman of
Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Limited, established a company that later bought most of ATV's shares. Afterwards, Chan Wing-kei took the post of Administrative Director General. With the change of shareholder, there was innovation in the direction of production, marketing strategy, and human resources. One of the significant changes is the increasing purchase of foreign programmes, such as the South Korean Drama ''
Autumn in My Heart
''Autumn in My Heart'' () is a 2000 South Korean romantic television drama starring Song Seung-heon, Song Hye-kyo, and Won Bin. The series is the first installment of season-themed tetralogy '' Endless Love'' drama series directed by Yoon Seok-h ...
''.
In December 2008,
City Telecom chairman
Ricky Wong Wai Kay
Ricky Wong Wai-kay (; born 13 December 1961 in Hong Kong) is a telecom and media entrepreneur in Hong Kong. He is the chairman and founder of Hong Kong Television Network, and the founder of Hong Kong Broadband Network. He is also a member of the ...
was assigned as new the chief executive while former
PCCW
PCCW Limited (formerly known as Pacific Century CyberWorks Limited) is a Hong Kong-based information and communications technology (ICT) company.
The company is the majority owner of telecommunications company HKT Limited, and also holds a maj ...
deputy chairman
Linus Cheung Wing-lam became executive chairman.
[The Standard HK]
''Survival Drama''
. ''The Standard''. Retrieved 7 December 2008. After just 2 weeks Ricky Wong resigned from his position
due to many factors.
[South China Morning Post.]
SCMP
." ''Outspoken, and out of a job.'' Retrieved on 24 December 2008. In early 2009,
Taiwanese
Taiwanese may refer to:
* Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien
* Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa)
* Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan
* Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan
* Taiwanese people, ...
billionaire
Tsai Eng-Meng signed a preliminary agreement to become a key shareholder of Alnery, a company that controls 47.58% of ATV. Tsai has agreed to inject HK$1 billion in the form of convertible bonds. Tsai and Payson Cha have since debated over control of the station.
2010–2015: Decline
Hong Kong's other main television broadcaster,
TVB
Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. The Company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Cantonese language service, and TVB ...
, was regarded as the driving force behind ATV's decision to transform its pay TV operation to terrestrial TV broadcasting. For many years, TVB has been the predominant ratings leader in Hong Kong, its programmes often capturing 90–95% of viewing audience. In the last round, ATV had its licence renewed in December 2004 for another 12 years. Under the new terms of the licence, the Broadcasting Authority required that ATV World provide bilingual subtitles on news, weather and current affairs shows, educational shows, and public service announcements, as well as more cultural and arts shows. In its final years, viewing figures for ATV Home had fallen sharply, as the TV station has begun to cater more to the interests of the mainland Chinese audience, who could now legally receive the channel. In the
Pearl River Delta
The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region (PRD; ; pt, Delta do Rio das Pérolas (DRP)) is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. Referred to as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Mac ...
area of China, ATV used to enjoy a 70% ratings share in the late 90s, largely due to rebroadcasting rights. The ratings share has since reduced to 2–3%. The shift resulted in Hong Kong viewers complaining that programmes aired on the channel are "old-fashioned" and not in tune with the preferences of the Hong Kong TV audience.
In 2010, Chinese property businessman
Wang Zheng became known as ATV's "major shareholder" and began to exercise actual control over the board of directors when his relative-in-law Wong Ben Koon, who is a Hong Kong resident, purchased 52% of ATV's shares from Cha's brothers and other shareholders, although Wang himself was not a member of the board. This is believed by observers to bypass Hong Kong's broadcasting regulations, which forbid non-Hong Kong residents to own and control local television stations.
Stating his plan to shape ATV into "Asia's
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
" and "Hong Kong's conscience", Wang replaced the production of
television drama series
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-gen ...
with
talk shows
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...
, which contributed to further loss of ATV's audience and advertisers.
On 6 July 2011,
ATV News
ATV News () was the newsgathering arm of ATV in Hong Kong. It provided news programmes to both its ATV Home and ATV World.
On April 11, 2011, ATV News unveiled its new title sequence, which was turned out to be a copy of a personal conceptio ...
falsely reported the death of
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and as pres ...
, former
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the paramount leader o ...
. Wang Zheng, at that time rumoured to be a distant relative of Jiang, was believed to be the source. The Communications Authority fined ATV for HK$300,000 for the false news report, and later another HK$1 million after concluding Wang Zheng had been unlawfully interfering with ATV's management. Wang's cousin
James Shing Pan-yu
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguati ...
was forced to quit his role as executive director.
ATV came under heavy pressure from the community, when its ''ATV Focus'' smeared anti-
Moral and National Education
Moral and national education (MNE), initially known as Moral and civic education (MCE), was a school curriculum proposed by the Education Bureau of Hong Kong in 2012.
The subject was controversial for its stance on the Chinese Communist Part ...
pupils and when it broadcast a live show of Wang leading a group of artists dancing in front of the Central Government Offices to call for the government not to issue new free-to-air licences.
On 19 June 2013, the Hop Chung Tourist Car Company – a long-time transport contractor of ATV – filed a lawsuit asking the High Court to wind up ATV over unpaid bills totalling HK$900,000. ATV executive director James Shing denied the station was experiencing financial problems. In 2014, the court ruled in Tsai's favour that Wang Zheng was responsible for ATV's business failure, and appointed Deloitte to seek a
white knight
A white knight is a mythological figure and literary stock character. They are portrayed alongside a black knight as diametric opposites. A white knight usually represents a heroic warrior fighting against evil, with the role in medieval literatu ...
to take over Wong Ben-koon's controlling shares.
ATV had also failed to pay wages to its employees;
[ at the end of December 2014, the company said it would shortly pay half the back wages of its staff for the month of September. By early January, the company was still owing the balance of salaries outstanding since November, and there were a number of terminations and redundancies as a result of the operating difficulties. ATV and its executive director Ip Ka-po received 34 prosecution notices from the Labour Department concerning unpaid wages from July through September.] In late-January 2015, the company, still facing liquidity issues, controversially advanced the outstanding salaries for December on condition that employees signed a loan agreement with the company belonging to the major shareholder, Wong Ben-koon.
2015–2017: Loss of licence
On 31 March 2015, ATV announced during its evening news that its main shareholders had agreed to sell their stake in the company to Ricky Wong's Hong Kong Television Network
Hong Kong Technology Venture Company Limited (HKTV, ) is a Hong Kong-based technology company primarily known for its e-commerce platform and once had plans to become a television station. HKTV currently provides an over-the-top shopping and e ...
(which was the subject of a failed bid for an over-the-air license before electing to launch as an internet television
Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...
service instead). Although he had met with ATV staff a few days prior, Wong denied that a deal had actually been made, while legislators argued that the report was intended to mislead the Executive Council into believing that ATV was in the process of addressing its financial issues.
On 1 April 2015, the Executive Council ruled that it would not renew ATV's broadcasting licence. Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development heads the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Government. The Secretary is responsible for promoting commerce and the economic development of Hong Kong. The position was c ...
Gregory So
Gregory So Kam-leung () is the former Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong.
Education
So holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Carleton University and a double degree of Master of business administration and ...
explained that ATV's performance was "unsatisfactory" and had "clearly deteriorated after the mid-term review of its licence", and that the Communications Authority " adserious doubts as to whether ATV would be capable of making the necessary improvements, and whether it has the financial capability to deliver its investment plans, and indeed to continue its business as a going concern." As federal law requires broadcasters to be given one years' notice in the event of license revocation, the license was provisionally extended to 1 April 2016, after which ATV is required to cease broadcasting. Concurrently, the government announced the approval of an over-the-air license to a new broadcasting company, HK Television Entertainment
HK Television Entertainment Company Limited (, or HKTVE) is a television service operator in Hong Kong operated by Hong Kong billionaire Richard Li's PCCW, through its subsidiary PCCW Media, which also owns an IPTV platform, Now TV and operati ...
. The government also allowed RTHK
Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is the public broadcasting service in Hong Kong. GOW, the predecessor to RTHK, was established in 1928 as the first broadcasting service in Hong Kong. As a government department under the Commerce and Econom ...
to take over ATV's analogue broadcast spectrum; RTHK planned to use the spectrum to broadcast an expanded version of its channel 31 service.
On 7 February 2016, after over 200 employees resigned from the company in the previous week, ATV was forced to suspend its news programming due to a lack of staff. The broadcaster planned to restore newscasts following the Chinese New Year holiday. The Communications Authority threatened to fine ATV over the suspension, as it violated conditions of its licence requiring the daily broadcast of 15-minute evening newscasts in Cantonese and English. On 22 February 2016, the Communications Authority announced that it would issue a 30-day suspension to ATV effective April 2016 for violating licence conditions relating to news programming and missed license fee payments. Although ATV will have ceased broadcasting by then due to the expiration of its licence, the CA stated that it still issued the penalty out of fairness, because not doing so "would send a wrong message to the broadcasting sector, that a beleaguered and cash-strapped licensee would be given a carte blanche to contravene the BO and licence conditions" with few consequences.
On 24 February 2016, the High Court of Hong Kong
The High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a part of the legal system of Hong Kong. It consists of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance; it deals with criminal and civil cases which have risen beyond the l ...
appointed the firm Deloitte
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...
to serve as a provisional liquidator for ATV's assets. On 29 February 2016, Deloitte announced that as part of the liquidation process, all of ATV's staff would be laid off. On 3 March 2016, Deloitte announced that it was in the process of winding down ATV's operations and planned to shut down the network as soon as possible. However, RTHK stated that it would not be ready to take over ATV's analogue spectrum with its new programming until 10 March at the latest. On 7 March, only a day after the layoffs took effect, China Cultural Media Group reached a deal to invest in ATV, pay outstanding staff wages for 2016, and operating costs for March, allowing the network to re-hire 160 employees to continue operating ATV in the interim. However, the outstanding wages would not be paid until 2 April. ATV spokesperson stated that the broadcaster was considering alternate outlets for its programming following the shutdown, including the internet.
Final day of broadcast
The final program aired by ATV Home was a repeat of a special celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Miss Asia Pageant ATV Miss Asia Pageant () is an annual Hong Kong-based beauty pageant organized and broadcast by Asia Television (ATV). Originating in 1985 as a local Hong Kong pageant, the contest went on hiatus from the 2000 through 2003, and was re-branded as an ...
. Although a public relations manager stated that ATV was planning to broadcast one more edition of the Miss Asia Pageant prior to ATV's shutdown, former producer Wingo Ng stated that ATV did not have enough money and staff to produce such a programme.
ATV's channels signed off shortly before midnight local time on 1 April. RTHK TV 31
RTHK TV 31 (, formerly RTHK TV 31A for analogue TV) is a 24-hour Chinese-language free-to-air television channel in Hong Kong, owned by RTHK. It is one of RTHK's three channels alongside RTHK TV 32 and RTHK TV 33 on digital terrestrial televisi ...
and TV33 (CGTN Documentary
CGTN Documentary (formerly CCTV-9 Documentary) is a Chinese pay television channel operated by the China Global Television Network (CGTN) group, owned by Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV). The channel broadcasts documentar ...
) began broadcasting on ATV's analogue channels shortly after midnight on 2 April 2016. HKTVE also soft-launched its new digital channel, ViuTV
ViuTV is a Cantonese language general entertainment television channel in Hong Kong operated by HK Television Entertainment (HKTVE), whose parent company PCCW also operates the IPTV platform Now TV and the media streaming service Viu. The chann ...
, ahead of its formal launch on 6 April.
Debt resolved
After ATV formally ceased free TV broadcasting, ATV Investor Secretary Rong Rongbin pledged shares of Star Platinum Corporation, which holds 99% of its shares, to borrow HK$300 million from Xiesheng Xiefeng to save ATV, but did not repay on time; therefore, Xiesheng Xiefeng in July 2016, it acquired the full equity of Star Platinum. It was also reported that about HK$35 million in unpaid wages of 640 former employees and HK$18 million of Insolvency Fund were also paid after the company has acquired its majority stake.
2017–present: Return with OTT services
In December 2017, ATV announced that the company will continue its business with their new mobile app and OTT services, delivering programmes and shows through the internet instead of terrestrial broadcasting. They also announced their new series for the show ''Baak Maan Fu Yung
''Baak Maan Fu Yung'' (, Cantonese Yale: ''baak3 maan6 fu3 yung1'', Jyutping: ''baak3 maan6 fu3 jung1'', literally ''The Millionaire'', also had the English words of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'' surrounding the Chinese title) is a Hong K ...
(local version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and ...
''), which is hosted by former general manager of TVB, Stephan Chan. The app also includes previous ATV original dramas and documentaries. The OTT service is operated by ATV's sister company, Asia Television Digital Media Limited.
In June 2018, ATV announced that they are rebooting the Miss Asia Pageant ATV Miss Asia Pageant () is an annual Hong Kong-based beauty pageant organized and broadcast by Asia Television (ATV). Originating in 1985 as a local Hong Kong pageant, the contest went on hiatus from the 2000 through 2003, and was re-branded as an ...
since the hiatus in 2015. Partnered with South Korean company CJ E&M
CJ E&M (Hangul: 씨제이이앤엠, an initialism for CJ Entertainment & Media) is a South Korean entertainment and mass media company created by CJ Group in 2011. As of July 2018, CJ E&M is a division of CJ ENM.
History
CJ E&M was established a ...
, the pageant was described as "ATV's biggest investment of the year".
In 2020 ATV announced that they had formed a partnership with UK production company Phoenix Waters Productions to relaunch their drama department and develop a slate of Films, Series, and Variety shows spearheaded by PWP CEO Bizhan Tong
Bijan (also Bizhan or Bejan; fa, بیژن) is a Persian given name meaning "Hero". People named Bijan include:
*Bijan (designer), surname Pakzad, a fashion and perfume designer
*Bijan Abdolkarimi, philosopher
*Bijan Beg Saakadze, Safavid noble a ...
. This would start with international thriller Lockdown (2021) to be filmed around the world during the 2020 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
and feature a global cast including John Savage, Xander Berkeley
Alexander Harper Berkeley (born December 16, 1955) is an American actor and voice actor. Since beginning his career in the early 1980s, he has appeared in over 200 film and television projects. His film roles include '' Terminator 2: Judgment Da ...
, and Anita Chui
Anita Chui () is a Hong Kong-born actress and singer. Chui has acted in both local and international films, and is the author of two books. Her debut single, ''Get it Right'', was released in 2022.
Early life
Chui was born into a middle-class ...
. In 2021 AMM Global Media was formed where all 19 of Tong's creative projects including Lockdown shifted in order to focus entirely on creative entertainment with international appeal, where Tong became its Executive Director.
Location
On 21 July 2007, ATV left its long-time home at 81 Broadcast Drive
Broadcast Drive is a road in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. The road is notable as it is only 1 km long but having played host to all five broadcasting outlets in Hong Kong at one point in the 1970s, and the hill on which the road is located ...
in Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong () is an area of Hong Kong located in Kowloon. The majority of the area is in the Kowloon City District. Its exaclocationis south of the Lion Rock, north of Boundary Street, east of the East Rail line and west of Grampian Road. It i ...
and moved into a new facility in Tai Po
Tai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui () (the original "Tai Po Market") on the north of Lam Tsue ...
. The original home was demolished in 2008–2009 and is now a residential development, called Meridian Hill.
The Tai Po production facilities cover and is three times larger than the old facilities on Broadcast Drive. The Tai Po facilities have four news studios, eight variety show and drama studios and a range of digital broadcasting facilities. The largest studio covers .
The new HQ is the former site of the Lee Kum Kee
Lee Kum Kee Company Limited () is a Hong Kong-based food company which specializes in manufacturing a wide range of Chinese and Asian sauces. Founded by Lee Kum Sheung in 1888 in Nanshui, Guangdong. Lee Kum Kee produces over 200 Chinese-style sau ...
's Hong Kong headquarters and factory operations in Hong Kong.
File:ATV HQ at Broadcast Drive 20060725.jpg, Former ATV headquarters on Broadcast Drive
Broadcast Drive is a road in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. The road is notable as it is only 1 km long but having played host to all five broadcasting outlets in Hong Kong at one point in the 1970s, and the hill on which the road is located ...
(demolished)
File:HK Ho Chung Che Kung Temple near ATV ppt.JPG, Former ATV studio building in Ho Chung
Ho Chung () is a village on the Sai Kung Peninsula in Hong Kong. The Ho Chung River () runs through the village.
Administration
Ho Chung is a recognized village under the New Territories Small House Policy.
History
A Neolithic stone-working si ...
, Sai Kung District
Sai Kung District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China. The district comprises the southern half of the Sai Kung Peninsula, the Clear Water Bay Peninsula in the New Territories and a strip of lan ...
File:HK ATV TaiPoHQ 2008.JPG, ATV headquarters in Tai Po Industrial Estate
Tai Po Industrial Estate (, branded as ) is an industrial estate on the reclamation in Tai Po Hoi, Tai Po District, New Territories, Hong Kong. It is administered by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation.
Location
Tai Po Indu ...
, Tai Po District
Tai Po District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. The suburban district covers the areas of Tai Po New Town (including areas such as Tai Po Market, , Tai Po Industrial Estate, Tai Wo Estate), Tai Po Tau, Tai Po Kau, Hong Lok Yuen, Ti ...
News operation
ATV News was the news gathering arm of ATV. It produced daily newscasts in Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
, Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
, and English, which were seen on its Home, World, and News & Business Channels. Additional foreign news coverage was provided by CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
and CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
. The broadcaster was long recognised as pro-Beijing.
Programming
ATV aired a range of television programmes, including news
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...
, infotainment
Infotainment (a portmanteau of ''information'' and ''entertainment''), also called soft news as a way to distinguish it from serious journalism or hard news, is a type of media, usually television or online, that provides a combination of infor ...
, drama, and variety shows. In addition to producing its own shows, ATV acquired popular TV programmes from overseas markets to cater to changing audience tastes. Of note, ATV bought in popular TV dramas from South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
and Mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
for broadcast in prime time.
Channels
Prior to 2 April 2016, ATV operated six channels: the 24-hour ATV Home
ATV Home () was a free-to-air Cantonese television channel in Hong Kong, owned and operated by Asia Television. It was formed in September 1963 as a result of the split of the bilingual Rediffusion Television subscription service (which was pri ...
channel in Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
; the 24-hour ATV World
ATV World, was one of two free-to-air English language television channels in Hong Kong, the other being its arch-rival TVB Pearl. Its sister station, ATV Home, broadcast in Cantonese language. It is owned and operated by Asia Television, a ...
channel in English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
; the 24-hour Cantonese satellite channel ATV Overseas, which was accessible in North America via satellite, and three digital DMB-T/H
DTMB (Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast) is the digital TV standard for mobile and fixed devices, developed in the People's Republic of China. It is used there and in both of their special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau), and ...
channels: ATV Asia
ATV Asia () was a high-definition TV channel operated by the Hong Kong Asia Television
Asia Television Limited (, also known as ATV) is a digital media and broadcasting company in Hong Kong. Established as the first television service in ...
, a 24-hour high-definition channel; CCTV-1
CCTV-1 (CCTV General Channel) is the primary channel of CCTV, the national flagship terrestrial television network of the People's Republic of China. It broadcasts a range of programs from CCTV Headquarters at East 3rd Ring Road in Beijing and ...
, the general channel of China Central Television
China Central Television (CCTV) is a Chinese state- and political party-owned broadcaster controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its 50 different channels broadcast a variety of programing to more than one billion viewers in six lan ...
.
Prior to 1 April 2009, the following DMB-T/H channels were in operation: News & Business, a 24-hour news and finance news channel; His TV, a 24-hour sports and infotainment channel aimed at men; Her TV, a 24-hour lifestyle infotainment channel aimed at women; Plus TV, a 24-hour documentary channel; and HDTV, a 24-hour high-definition channel.
Programmes on ATV Home
ATV produced numerous classic TV dramas, including '' Super Stuntman'' (狮王之王), ''Crocodile Tears'' (鱷魚淚), ''My Date with a Vampire
''My Date with a Vampire'' is a 1998 Hong Kong television series produced by ATV. The story is based on the future events of the plot of ''Vampire Expert'', a similar two-season television drama aired on ATV in 1995 and 1996. It blends aspects o ...
'', ''Fatherland'' (大地恩情), ''Vampire Hero
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
'' (殭屍英雄), ''The Legend'', '' My Date with a Vampire 2'', ''The Legendary Fok
''The Legendary Fok'' is a Hong Kong television series loosely based on the life of the Chinese martial artist Huo Yuanjia (Cantonese: Fok Yuen-gap). It includes a subplot based on the story of Chen Zhen (Cantonese: Chan Zan), a fictional student ...
'' (霍元甲), ''My Date with a Vampire 3
''My Date with a Vampire III'' is a 2004 Hong Kong television series produced by ATV as a sequel to '' My Date with a Vampire'' (1998) and ''My Date with a Vampire II'' (2000). The series starred many cast members from the first two seasons. Lik ...
'', ''Central Affairs I and II
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center (disambiguation), center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa ...
'' (情陷夜中環), '' Vampire Expert II'' (殭屍道長II) and '' Reincarnated'' (天蠶變). Productions of note in 1990s include '' The Pride of Chaozhou'' (我來自潮州), '' Who is the Winner?'' (勝者為王), '' Who is the Winner?! 2: King of Green Bat'', ''King of the Gambler
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
'' (千王之王重出江湖), and '' The Good Old Days'' (再見艷陽天).
In the 2000s, ATV created and hosted certain large-scale award shows. The most well-known would probably be ''The Annual Most Popular TV Commercial Awards'' (十大電視廣告頒獎禮).
Other infotainment programmes like ''Stories From Afar
Story or stories may refer to:
Common uses
* Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events)
** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting
* Story (American English), or storey (British ...
'' (尋找他鄉的故事) ranked highly in the ''Appreciation Index Survey Best Television Awards'' (香港電視節目欣賞指數), as reflected by a public review.
Some ATV programmes, such as the entertainment news show ''Hong Kong Today Hong may refer to:
Places
*Høng, a town in Denmark
*Hong Kong, a city and a special administrative region in China
*Hong, Nigeria
*Hong River in China and Vietnam
*Lake Hong in China
Surnames
*Hong (Chinese name)
*Hong (Korean name)
Organiz ...
'' (今日睇真D) and ''Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and ...
'' (百萬富翁), proved particularly popular, prompting local rival TVB
Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. The Company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Cantonese language service, and TVB ...
to offer similar fare.
Asia Television used to air the British Science Fiction Programme ''Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' and were responsible for returning one of their copies to the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
, when BBC Enterprises #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the ...
wiped
Lost television broadcasts are mostly those early television programs which cannot be accounted for in studio archives (or in personal archives) usually because of deliberate destruction or neglect.
Common reasons for loss
A significant prop ...
many ''Doctor Who'' serials in the 1970s. The Tomb of the Cybermen
''The Tomb of the Cybermen'' is the first serial of the fifth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was originally broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 2 to 23 September 1967.
In the serial, the ...
returned in late 1991.
Programmes on ATV World
ATV World was one of two English-language channels that broadcast in Hong Kong. It offered a variety of programmes, mostly from the United States, ranging from popular serial dramas and films to documentaries and educational shows. Among the shows it aired are '' Ally McBeal'' (甜心俏佳人), ''Survivor
Survivor(s) may refer to:
Actual survivors
*
*Last survivors of historical events
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Survivors, characters in the 1997 ''KKnD'' video-game series
* ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Found ...
'' (生還者), ''Smallville
''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...
'' (超人外傳), ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...
'' (滅罪鑑證科), ''Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
'' (伊利沙伯一世傳奇), ''CSI: Miami
''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...
'' (鑑證行動組), ''Cold Case
A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...
'' (鐵證懸案), ''CSI: NY
''CSI: NY'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: New York'', stylized as ''CSI: NY/Crime Scene Investigation'') is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 22, 2004, to February 22, 2013, for a total of nine seaso ...
'' (鑑證紐約), ''Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...
'' (醫人當自強), ''The Closer
''The Closer'' is an Television in the United States, American television police procedural starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department Chief of police#United States, deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator o ...
'' (真相追擊), ''Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' (異世奇人), and ''Ghost Whisperer
''Ghost Whisperer'' is an American supernatural television series, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010.
The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon ( Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has the ability to see and communicate with ...
'' (靈感應). ATV stopped carrying the talk show ''Late Show with David Letterman
The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
'' (大衛牙擦騷) , but there was a grass-roots movement to bring it back. Arts and sports programming were also offered (e.g. local horse racing, in Chinese 賽馬直擊). Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
and Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
programmes were available on ATV World at off-peak hours.
ATV World's flagship English news programme was ''Main News and Weather Report at 7:30'', provided under the collective effort of ATV News
ATV News () was the newsgathering arm of ATV in Hong Kong. It provided news programmes to both its ATV Home and ATV World.
On April 11, 2011, ATV News unveiled its new title sequence, which was turned out to be a copy of a personal conceptio ...
.
Given its focus on English-language programming in a predominantly Cantonese-speaking market, ATV World carried relatively little advertising and was subsidised by ATV Home. Free-to-air television companies in Hong Kong are required by the government to provide an English-language service. In the face of competition from TVB Pearl
TVB Pearl is a terrestrial television channel in Hong Kong owned by Television Broadcasts Limited. Established on 19 November 1967, it shares headquarters with TVB's other properties at TVB City at 77 Chun Choi Street in Tseung Kwan O Industr ...
, ATV World switched focus from dramas and movies to documentaries and natural history shows, likely because such programming was less expensive to acquire. Although movies formerly aired on Saturdays, movies acquired by ATV were generally aired on Monday nights, leading to '' The Late News'' programme.
Artistes
ATV Training Institute
Asia Television Training Institute was founded to train people who are interested in joining the television industry. There are four faculties including television production, television artwork, television talent and technical production. Some of the graduates are offered work at ATV.
Actor station-hopping
Like TVB, ATV used a contract artist system, in which the station acted as both employer and booking agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sport ...
. Artistes were signed to contracts which mean that they could only appear in that station's programmes; the artistes were kept on a basic wage with additional fees paid on a per episode or per appearance basis. Acting as an artiste's booking agent, the station would also have a veto in what personal appearances, endorsements and advertisements an artiste may take, demanding a cut of all fees. Artistes would also be pushed to take jobs favored by the station, with artistes who rebelled and refused being put "on ice" (Chinese: 被雪, 雪藏), or being forced to see out their contract at the basic wage, but not being used in any of station's programs and forbidden from any other work. Being put "on ice" effectively ends an artist's career until the contract lapses.
TVB is known to typecast their performers, with some always given lead roles and others always given supporting roles. As such, some actors left TVB for ATV in hopes of better opportunities, although in most cases the change of station could mean a drastic reduction in fame for the artist, as TVB is the dominant station in Hong Kong. The majority of the leading roles were actually given to veteran TVB actors. While some veteran TVB actors merely switched sides because their contract ended, some joined because they are offered better compensation and positions to veteran TVB actors. There were several known incidents where TVB had certain dramas planned and were forced to cancel or rewrite scripts because the star(s) of the role left for other opportunities and vice versa. While TVB also acquired ATV actors, the cross over was higher in frequency with TVB actors to ATV.
With the disbandment of ATV's in house drama department and the stations retreat from making its own dramas, there was no longer any work for its actors and most have since found alternative employment.
Past ATV personalities
Criticism and controversies
Hitler advertisement
In 1994, ATV controversially ran a two-page advertisement in the ''South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'' promoting marketing opportunities, featuring a full-page picture of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
surrounded by members of the Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...
. It suggested that, had Hitler been able to advertise on ATV, he would have "been assured of total domination" and have "had them sieg heil
The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute (german: link=no, Hitlergruß, , Hitler greeting, ; also called by the Nazi Party , 'German greeting', ), or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. Th ...
ing from Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
to Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
" before adding that advertisers should contact the station or their advertising agency, "before you come up with your final solution
The Final Solution (german: die Endlösung, ) or the Final Solution to the Jewish Question (german: Endlösung der Judenfrage, ) was a Nazi plan for the genocide of individuals they defined as Jews during World War II. The "Final Solution to th ...
".
This was condemned as "extremely tasteless" by the German Consul-General, who added that the advertisement "hurts the feelings of the many victims of totalitarianism and fascism", and as "outrageous and unbelievable" by his Israeli counterpart. The United Jewish Congregation of Hong Kong also condemned it as "disgusting", claiming that it "carries the newspaper to the very brink of moral bankruptcy", and was "an insult to the memories of all of Hitler's victims".
Pro-Beijing slant
News programmes broadcast by ATV were deemed by some observers to have taken on a pro-Beijing
The pro-Beijing camp, pro-establishment camp, pro-government camp or pro-China camp refers to a political alignment in Hong Kong which generally supports the policies of the Beijing central government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) t ...
bias, reporting news involving pro-democracy political forces in Hong Kong in a negative light. A short talk show on current affairs that airs after the six o'clock news frequently invited pro-Beijing advocates to air their views, often praising the PRC's policies and criticising pro-democratic parties, especially when these parties invoked a demonstration. There were also other pro-democratic guests, but this did not balance out the pro-Beijing bias. TVB's news programming is similarly criticised for its "pro-establishment" stance. Although the Hong Kong media has the freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
, self-censorship
Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own discourse. This is done out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities or preferences (actual or perceived) of others and without overt pressure from any specific party or insti ...
is commonly practised at media organisations whose owners have business interests in mainland China. A shift in ownership of ATV in mid-2006 sparked concern that ATV would become even more pro-Beijing.
For example, the pro-democracy 1 July marches
The Hong Kong 1 July protests was an annual protest rally originally held by the Civil Human Rights Front from the day of handover in 1997 on the HKSAR establishment day. However, it was not until 2003 that the march drew large public attentio ...
usually make the headline news on TVB, but ATV usually made the pro-Beijing counter protests the headline news. ATV also attempted to dilute the pro-democracy message of the marches by saying the participants have different messages.
In September 2012, there was outrage after ATV broadcast a news article claiming that opponents of Hong Kong's pro-CCP "National Education" classes for students were "destructive forces" which were backed by London and Washington and seek to "destroy Hong Kong by all possible means".10,000 complain over ATV programme calling Scholarism a 'pawn'
, ''South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'', 5 September 2012 Members of the student advocacy group Scholarism were labelled as "naive teenagers" who have allowed themselves to be "exploited by politicians" and are ruining their own futures by "playing with politics".
See also
*
Media of Hong Kong
Hong Kong's media consists of several different types of communications of mass media: television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, websites and other online platforms.
Overview
Hong Kong is home to many of Asia's biggest media entities ...
*
Television in Hong Kong
Television in Hong Kong is primarily in Cantonese and English. It is delivered through analogue and digital terrestrial, cable, IPTV, and the Internet. Satellite TV is not common, although many housing estates have dishes and re-distribute a li ...
*
List of television stations in Hong Kong
There are four active free-to-air television networks in Hong Kong.
Of the four networks, only TVB, HKTVE and FTV operate English language channels.
There are also a number of cable, premium, and subscription television services. Currently, the ...
References
External links
Official SitePhotographs of the abandoned ATV studios in Ho Chung{{Television in Hong Kong
Television stations in Hong Kong
Mass media companies established in 1957
1957 establishments in Hong Kong
Television channels and stations established in 1957
Television channels and stations disestablished in 2016
Defunct television networks