COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA
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At the end of the year, 447 230 Hong Kong homes could receive STAR TV and other satellite television programme services through Satellite Master Antenna Television (SMATV) systems.
In addition, seven satellite television broadcasters uplinked their services from Hong Kong through Hong Kong Telecom International Limited's facilities. They were CNNI/TNT & Cartoon Network, Chinese Television Network, ESPN, TVBI, Reuters, NBC and Chinese Entertainment Television. Most channels were encrypted and were initially available only in countries where subscription arrangements could be concluded.
Subscription Television
Since Wharf Cable Limited was awarded a subscription television licence in June 1993, the licensee has made good progress in providing its service to the public. The service, delivered by microwave initially, reached more than one million homes by the second anniversary of the award of the licence. In all, 20 channels were available including 15 channels in the basic package, one premium channel and four pay- per-view channels. They provided the world's first round-the-clock news service in Cantonese, plus films, sports, family entertainment, education, children's, women's and youths' channels.
An optical-fibre cable network transmitting a Near Video-On-Demand service was available to 80 000 homes at the end of 1995. The microwave system will eventually - be replaced by an optical-fibre cable network, increasing the capacity of the system to
-39 channels.
Radio Television Hong Kong (Television)
As a public broadcasting organisation, the major role of Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) continued to be the production of programmes that were not sufficiently provided by the commercial broadcasters. RTHK continued to produce 10 hours of public affairs television programmes each week during the year. Of these, five hours of programmes were broadcast during prime time throughout the week on the Chinese channels of the two commercial stations (ATV and TVB). English- language programmes, such as The Week in Politics, Media Watch and Hong Kong Connection, were shown on the English channels of the two commercial television stations.
RTHK programmes fell basically into six categories: current affairs; docu- mentaries; drama; information and community services; children, youth and variety programmes; and general educational programmes. According to a television audience survey report, the average number of RTHK programme viewers during prime time on ATV and TVB was 342 054 and 1 131 867 respectively. An annual independent survey on audience appreciation showed that RTHK programmes continued to attract top ratings and support from the public.
Most of RTHK's programmes focused on promoting civic responsibility and social awareness. Current affairs programmes and documentaries remained in great demand. Through the weekly The Common Sense, Headliners, City Forum, Media Watch, Legco Review and Police Magazine, current issues were explored and analysed to promote better understanding of social events. A series of programmes was produced to encourage public participation in the 1995 election.