:
TVE Travel Agency and Tour Operations
TVE: Retail and Merchandising
Cable TV in the U.S.
Movie Production
These activities contributed 10% to Group turnover but only 1% to Group net profit in 1983. The subsidiaries involved are Audio-Visual Corporation Ltd which does ticketing, hotel reservation and other travel arrangements and Highlight Tours Ltd which acts as a tour operator as well as agent for tour operators and hotels in other countries.
Contributions in 1983 were 5% to Group turnover and 1% to Group net profit. TV Week Ltd operates 21 retail kiosks in the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations and certain other locations. These kiosks, selling books, magazines, confectionery, tobacco, etc, are highly successful and more outlets are being sought in the MTR Island Line stations as well as elsewhere.
Spotlight Enterprises Ltd merchandises products based on TVB's programmes.
Star Attractions Ltd operates recreational centres for children and adults. More centres, activities and courses are being planned.
TVB jointly operates a cable television service in Los Angeles with the Falcon Cable Television on Channel 38. Transmission of TVB's programmes began this year with 5 hours of programmes in the Chinese language. A regional office and production station for re-editing has been set up in California.
Although production of its first movie, with a budget of between $3mn to $4mn, has commenced, this operation will be on a trial basis for the next 2 years. Market response will be one of the major factors that will determine the Group's policy on this operation.