Television firm cracks down on illegal viewing

<p>HONG KONG: Cable television operator I-Cable Communications is </p><p>cracking down on the growing piracy viewing menace, which is estimated </p><p>to cost the company close to HK$28 million (US$3.6 </p><p>million) a year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A spokesman for I-Cable, Garman Chan, said the company had introduced </p><p>the Intrusive Flashing Unit to interrupt illegal viewing at regular </p><p>intervals. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It has started replacing existing subscriber TV top boxes with digital </p><p>ones to help combat the problem. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Industry sources estimated there were as many as 100,000 illegal viewers </p><p>of I-Cable services in Hong Kong. This has lead the company's average </p><p>revenue per user to drop by six per cent to $239 from a year ago. </p><p>I-Cable said the number of pay-TV subscribers grew by only three per </p><p>cent from the start of the year to about 537,000. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>