CONFIDENTIAL
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XCC(72)91
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and that the licences should include the following conditions:
(a)
(b)
the service should provide a full and contemporaneous relay of all the services broadcast by wireless television licensees in Hong Kong;
transmissions should not include any
material whatsoever except for (a) above;
(c)
transmissions should be on the 625-line colour standard.
Copyright
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Continued copyright restrictions on wired television relay systems would prevent them from becoming a secondary means of transmission of all wireless television services.
The local copy- right legislation being recommended in a separate memorandum does not therefore propose that relay should be made a restricted act. Its freedom from copyright should not harm the interests of wireless television licensees: their revenue is derived from the sale of advertising time. They are not therefore in direct competition with relay systems.
Advanced cable systems
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As recommended by the Working Party (recommen- dation 81) it is proposed that no licence should be issued for the ad- vanced cable systems described in paragraph 384 of the Working Party's Report until there is a public need for them and the impli- cations of their establishment in Hong Kong have been examined.
Interim extension of RTV's licence
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It has already been decided in principle (paragraph 1) that Rediffusion should be offered an extension of their existing licence from 30th April 1973 to the date when the second wireless television licensee commences broadcasting. This is in order that the public shall continue to be provided with a service alternative to TVB during the period in question. It is however necessary to consider whether the offer should be of an extension on the same terms and conditions as at present or whether, as recommended by the Working Party, the monopoly rights in respect of ADS and CATV which Rediffusion now claim should be specifically excluded.
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It is relevant to note that the number of Rediffusion subscribers is dropping, so that an extension of their licence is not financially an attractive proposition. If one without exclusive relay rights were offered, they would thus be unlikely to accept. The public would then cease for a period to have a choice of programmes. It is therefore recommended that the offer of an extension to RTV's licence should be on the same terms and conditions as at present. Should such
CONFIDENTIAL
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