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STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
Rediffusion (Hong Kong) Limited
1.
2.
Rediffusion (Hong Kong) Limited is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Rediffusion Limited, a quoted British
public Company heading a Group with assets of more
than £100 million. Rediffusion's investment in
Hong Kong, at cost, is £6,370,000.
Rediffusion established its Hong Kong subsidiary in
1947, with a commercial broadcasting service trans-
mitted by cable to subscribers. In 1957, it pioneered
the introduction of television in the colony, with one
programme, primarily in the English language. In 1963 it added a Chinese television programme.
3.
4.
The television service is distributed over a cable
network and Rediffusion was granted a licence which gave it the right not only to distribute to subscribers its own originated programmes, but also to relay the programmes of any authorised broadcasting station which might subsequently come on air. The licensed right to relay was most deliberately sought and obtained, because it was recognised that a wireless television station
would one day be established and that a cable network
could only then continue to be viable if used to distribute the programmes of the wireless station as well
as Rediffusion's own programmes.
In 1965, the Hong Kong Government called for tenders for
a television station to broadcast by aerial transmission.
Rediffusion submitted a tender, but the licence was
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