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Vivienne Chow

Hong Kong’s television industry will see competition heat up in the digital realm next year when American giant 21st Century Fox and local heavyweight TVB make their content available on new OTT platforms.
The new platforms will go head to head next year with American streaming service Netflix and mainland company LeTV as the latter pushes forward with ambitious expansion plans in Hong Kong with entertainment programmes and live broadcasts of English Premier League football matches, details of which are set to be announced this week.
Both Fox and TVB said local content would be the key to winning over watchers in the region.
Cora Yim, senior vice-president of Fox International Channels, told the Post that the channels' local content would be available on a new OTT platform in collaboration with PCCW’s Now TV towards the end of the year.
Read more: Fox to boost Hong Kong television industry with US$1m-per-episode miniseries
OTT refers to over-the-top content delivered via the internet that does not rely on a television system operator for distribution.
The push into Asia by Fox comes following an earlier announcement that the company would be funding locally-produced television mini-series to the tune of US$1 million per episode.
Yim said she did not see Netflix making a huge impact on Asia's TV industry as its content has a strong Western focus.
“In Asia, especially Hong Kong, it’s not the mainstream,” she said of Netflix’s offering.
She said Fox International Channels was aiming to produce a Cantonese mini-series set in Hong Kong. Other projects in English and Putonghua are in the pipeline, she said.
“We are eyeing the pan-Asian market,” Yim said.
Read more: 'China's Rupert Murdoch' teams up with Hollywood giant Warner Bros in Hong Kong
TVB will launch its new OTT platform in April next year, according to Mark Lee Po-on, group chief executive of the broadcaster.
Lee told the Post the new platform would be different from TVB’s existing MyTV and would include content from its free-to-air terrestrial television operation and 13 thematic channels carried by its paid-for operation.
The platform will be available on subscription at “a very inexpensive rate”, Lee said.
“Our new OTT platform will include content from classic drama titles from our archive and over 1,500 black-and-white films to up-to-date content including our own local content and foreign shows such as Japanese and Korean dramas,” he said.
He said the OTT platform would allow fans to watch TVB content anywhere at any time on mobile devices.
Lee was sceptical about whether Netflix would make a huge impact on Hong Kong’s television industry, as competition was already intense.
“This has been the case in Hong Kong for a while. We must raise the quality of our TV productions because we are living in a global village, and we face competition from around the world. This is a pressing task,” Lee said.
TVB’s new OTT platform will be available first in Hong Kong, then overseas at a later date, through which the broadcaster hopes to find a following overseas.
“This is reciprocal globalisation,” Lee said.
Actor Gregory Wong Chung-yiu, who shot to fame with starring roles in dramas from entrepreneur Ricky Wong Wai-kay’s OTT platform HKTV, said he welcomed the latest entrants to the market, which could offer opportunities for those working in the industry and more choice for audiences.
“But can the legislature accommodate these digital changes?” Wong said, referring to the need for the legal framework to keep up with changes in the industry.
PCCW and Now TV offer self-generated audio and visual content over the internet.
The platform has had more than 4.5 million downloads, a PCCW spokesman said, adding that further expansion would be announced later.


US giant 21st Century Fox to battle TVB with new platforms for Hong Kong internet TV viewers

TVB will make content available on a new OTT platform. Photo: TVB

Rupert Murdoch's (left) 21st Century Fox will make its content available on new OTT platforms in Hong Kong. Photo: Reuters

Details of live broadcasts of English Premier League football matches are due to be announced soon. Photo: AFP

American giant 21st Century Fox's new OTT platform will compete with one from local heavyweight TVB. Photo: 21st Century Fox

Could LeTV's capture of English Premier League rights actually be good news for Hong Kong fans? 

A promotional image on LeTV's Facebook page is not exactly subtle

A lion ... could this be a clue of some sort? 

Tin Mok Chui-tin CEO, APAC of LeTV, who will speak to media on Tuesday. Photo: SCMP

Gareth Bale helps Now TV promote their HD coverage back in 2007 - since then the rights went to Cable TV then back to PCCW's Now. Photo: SCMP

Fans of Manchester United or Liverpool may be able to buy season passes just for their own teams under the new deal - in theory. Photo: AFP

Mainland Chinese TV station LeTV ‘has major plan for Hong Kong viewers’ amid reports of US$400m English Premier League deal

Mok Chui-tin said LeTV would give Hong Kong viewers a totally new experience. Photo: May Tse

English Premier League football is a big draw for viewers. Photo: Reuters

Netflix: the digital era is coming to Hong Kong television and the government needs to keep up

The arrival of Netflix to Hong Kong threatens viewership of ATV and TVB. Photo: AP

Rupert Murdoch confirmed to hand control of 21st Century Fox to sons james and Lachlan

Rupert Murdoch with sons Lachlan (left) and James (right). Photo: AP

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Exclusive | US giant 21st Century Fox to battle TVB with new platforms for Hong Kong internet TV viewers