The announcement came after the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to spurn free-to-air networks TVB and ATV sparked criticism that the Games would only be available on a subscription basis.
The IOC decision, which came earlier this week, was part of a wider deal which also handed i-Cable the internet and mobile rights for the approaching Beijing Olympics next year.
TVB and ATV, in a rare move, released a joint statement expressing dissatisfaction with the IOC’s decision. The networks stated that it contradicts the IOC’s explicit policy which calls for the Games to be broadcast to as many people as possible.
Figures from MEC Hong Kong indicate i-Cable’s penetration sits at around 26 per cent, compared with almost 100 per cent for TVB and ATV. Ip Ka Poi, ATV vice-president, public relations and promotions told Media:
“We have issued a joint statement to express our dissatisfaction with the IOC’s decision. The mass general public should have the right to watch the Olympic Games, and they are depriving the public of this right. It is totally against the IOC’s charter and spirit, so we are furious.”
But a spokesperson for i-Cable said the company remained open to the possibility of partnering with one of Hong Kong’s domestic networks for the respective Games. “This is not going to happen for another three or five years, so no-one really knows how the landscape of television broadcasting in Hong Kong will have changed,” said i-Cable’s senior external affairs manager Danny Lo.
“Our aim is to broadcast the Olympics to as many people as possible — we have to fulfil this obligation — so other free-to-air networks are free to discuss with us the possibility of sub-licensing the programming.”
GroupM Hong Kong CEO KK Tsang said it would be difficult for i-Cable to charge higher rates for the broadcasts given its low subscription base. “A lot will depend on how much they can increase their subscriptions in the coming years.”
