HK's TVB calls for regulating Internet pay TV
( 2003-09-03 11:31) (China Daily HK Edition)
Top Hong Kong free-to-air broadcaster Television Broadcasts (TVB) said
yesterday regulations governing the territory's broadcasters should be extended
to Internet operators offering pay TV services.
Its call follows the arrival of new competitors in Hong Kong's pay TV market,
now dominated by i-Cable Communications.
Hong Kong's fixed-line carriers PCCW and City Telecom are tapping the market
with services that piggyback on their broadband Internet capabilities to offer
programmes on TV or computer screens.
TVB will soon enter the pay TV market with its satellite joint venture
Galaxy.
"If you offer a pay TV service, then you should be regulated by the
Broadcasting Authority," Norman Leung, TVB's newly appointed executive deputy
chairman, said at a press briefing. The regulations cover matters such as
pricing and bundling of channels.
"I believe the government should study whether we need to redefine the
definition of broadcasting," said Leung.
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