Broadcasters in Hong Kong are posing a simple, but highly-charged question for the Government. If 98 per cent of the population speaks Cantonese, why does the Government still insist on two of the four free-to-air stations being dominated by English-language content?
"Because based on our poll, an overwhelming majority(of viewers) said they wanted it,"says Eddy Chan, commissioner of the Television Entertainment Licencing Authority (TELA).
But that's not a good enough answer for Asia Television (ATV) and Television Broadcast (TVB), the two companies that run the terrestrial services.
With their existing broadcast licences due to expire in 2003, the broadcasters are now lobbying for greater freedom to show more non-English language programmes and commercials.
Currently, ATV and TVB must show only English-language programmes on ATV World and TVB Pearl during the peak viewing hours of 7pm to 11:30pm.
This usually means a combination of movies (the biggest audience draw) and US imports.
Outside of peak time only 20 per cent of content can be broadcast in other languages. The stations are also limited to only two non-English commercials per hour during peak hours.
The broadcasters say these restrictions are now completely out of step with the realities of the Hong Kong television market. They argue that the rules are a hangover from the pre-1997 colonial days and should be revised to reflect the changes taking place in Hong Kong.
They want an end to the English-only peak time requirement and a the quota on non-English programmes to rise from 20 per cent to 30 per cent.
"The regulations are too stringent and have no flexibility, says Stephen Chan, assistant general manager at TVB. "The Government's argument is that they do not want to dilute the 'Englishness' of the channels. In my opinion, I think the Government is being purely colonial. They are concerned that Hong Kong will be like any other city in China (if the restrictions are removed)."
Not surprisingly TELA's Chan disagrees with the remark saying that the Government has to balance the interests of the Hong Kong public against the commercial interests of ATV and TVB. "Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city and English is still a very important language as a business tool.
If we take a chunk out of prime time, the characteristics of an English-language channel will be lost. He also questions the validity of the stations' desire to increase the quota of non-English language programming.
"Past trends indicate that neither channel is even close to filling the current 20 per cent, he says.
Both sides of the argument have conducted their own research and published figures that they say prove the Hong Kong television audience supports them.
Results of a poll conducted by the Broadcasting Authority (BA) earlier in the year indicated that 91 per cent of viewers support the requirement for the two English-language stations, while 77 per cent said they should be required to provide a specified amount of broadcast in English.
"The questions in the Broadcasting Authority survey were misleading," says Vincent Lam, vice-president for programming at ATV. ATV and TVB's own survey claims 61 per cent of viewers said they wanted more non-English programming on the stations.
Seventy five per cent said programming should be based on audience preference rather than Government regulations.
But would more non-English programming mean more money for the stations?
Neither of them has seen a profit in 34 years. Nielsen Media Research figures show that between them they claimed only around 4 per cent of tot al ad spend last year.
K.K. Tsang, managing director of MindShare Hong Kong, believes the English language channels will continue to struggle in their current form.
"English channels need to buy their programmes from overseas, which cost a lot. They can't raise their advertising rates because the English speaking audience is such a niche market. Another problem is that the highest-rated programmes on the English-language channels are movies, but with DVD, VCD and cable and satellite stations so readily available, terrestrial stations are the last in line to show them."
TVB is already cutting back on the number of movies it shows across the week, limiting screenings to major movies on Friday and Saturday nights.
But TVB's Chan says it is public service, "not profits that are the main reason the broadcasters want a change. "We are not that ambitious about being profitable on our English stations. What we want is more flexibility to respond to our diverse audience needs."
He says it's not a question of audiences disliking English-language programming, but of extending the range of programming on offer to them.
"We carry all the top quality shows like Friends, ER, The X-Files, The West Wing and are about to show 24 and Alias.
"But our Hong Kong audience is interested in being exposed to other cultures and want the opportunity to watch films in French, Italian, Japanese or Korean. Professionals want to be exposed to more worldly things."
But lifting the restrictions on the number of non-English ads during peak time would obviously also have a commercial benefit.
"Many advertisers want to advertise, but not in English - even after we offer them dubbing and sometimes even production. They do not, however, object to English subtitles in their ads, says Chan.
ATV's Lam also claims the easing of regulations would allow the broadcasters to market themselves more successfully to advertisers: "Other media such as the MTR in Hong Kong have been most creative in gaining advertising revenue. Free TV has not been able to exercise creativity in providing new ways of advertising for years due to Government regulations."
MindShare's Tsang says the broadcasters can't blame Government regulations for all their woes and that there's nothing to stop them doing a better job of coming up with new ideas for advertisers. But he does agree that the current regulations don't reflect Hong Kong's audience make-up. "Hong Kong has several different cultures living here and there is a need to show other language programmes to appease these minority races."
TVB's Chan says regulation should move with the market. "Back in the 1980s, there were only four channels to choose from so regulations were necessary. Now there are over 40 channels. There isn't a shortage of English programmes for English viewers to watch."
More talks between the stations and Government take place this month and TELA's Chan insists he has an open mind on the issue: "We are not the kind of organisation that sticks to one set of rules. We will look at each request in a reasonable and responsible manner As regulators, we have no vested interest, only the public's interest. And how do we know we're right? Public opinion."
TOP 10 ENGLISH PROGRAMMES ON TERRESTRIAL ENGLISH CHANNELS
Date: Jan 1 - Jun 30, 2002
Channels: ATVW, TVBP
Ranking Programme Name Channel Description
1 Armageddon TVBP Movie
2 101 Dalmatians TVBP Movie
3 Independence Day TVBP Movie
4 Dante's Peak TVBP Movie
5 Mars Attacks! TVBP Movie
6 Deep Impact TVBP Movie
7 Species TVBP Movie
8 Virtuosity TVBP Movie
9 Con Air TVBP Movie
10 Jason & The Argonauts TVBP Drama
Note: Any programmes with the main audio broadcast in English are
classified as an English programme.
Sources: Nielsen Media Research
TOP 10 NON-ENGLISH PROGRAMMES ON TERRESTRIAL ENGLISH CHANNELS
Date: Jan 1 - Jun 30, 2002
Channels: ATVW, TVBP
Ranking Programme Name Channel Description
1 Little Cheung TVBP Movie
2 Not One Less ATVW Movie
3 Road Home ATVW Movie
4 Johnny's Hour TVBP Music/Arts
5 Be My Valentine: X'Mas August TVBP Movie
6 Imagine TVBP Drama
7 Les Miserables ATVW Movie
8 Taiwan News Express TVBP News
9 Life Is Beautiful TVBP Movie
10 Prepare For Awards TVBP Documentary
Note: Any programmes with the main audio broadcast in English are
classified as a non-English programme.
Sources: Nielsen Media Research
