TNAG-2276-FCO40-3275-Hong-Kong-and-the-media-1991 — Page 7

RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

RESTRICTED

COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO

1383

OF 25170OZ JULY 91

117

124637

MDHOAN 7827

Media

миз

Mais sayi

pa.

(This is the big gun)

if

BBC WORLD SERVICE TV (WS TV) AND HUTCHVISION

1.

MICHAEL CHECKLAND, BBC, CALLED ON ME TODAY ACCOMPANIED BY LORD DERWENT AND RICHARD LI OF HUTCHVISION, AND CHRISTOPHER IRWIN, HEAD OF BBC WSTV.

2.

CHECKLAND, SUPPORTED BY LI AND LORD DERWENT, SAID THE LAUNCH OF THE HUTCHVISION/BBC NEWS CHANNEL WOULD BE A CRUCIAL STEP FORWARD IN DEVELOPING BBC WSTV SERVICES INTERNATIONALLY. IT WOULD REACH 55 PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION. BBC/HUTCHVISION WERE GRATEFUL FOR THE FCO LETTER OF COMFORT. THEY ASKED FOR HELP OVER THREE OTHER ISSUES:

EXTENSION OF THE BBC WS'S HONG KONG RADIO UPLINK LICENCE TO ALLOW BBC WS PROGRAMMES TO BE BROADCAST FROM AN ASIASAT SUBCARRIER:

AUTHORISATION TO BROADCAST ON THE TV NEWS CHANNEL IN CANTONESE TO A POTENTIAL AUDIENCE OF 100 MILLION CANTONESE SPEAKERS (WHOSE SUBSCRIPTIONS WOULD ENHANCE THE COMMERCIAL VIABILITY OF THE PROJECT):

PERMISSION TO OPERATE SUBSCRIPTION TV SERVICES (THEY WERE NOT AIMING PARTICULARLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS IN HONG KONG, BUT IT WOULD BE HARD TO SELL SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES EG IN TAIWAN IF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, WHERE HUTCHVISION WAS BASED, DID NOT ALLOW SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES THERE).

(new)

3. THEY SAID THEY WANTED TO LAUNCH THE NEWS CHANNEL ON 1 NOVEMBER, BUT UNLESS THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WAS PREPARED TO LIFT ITS BROADCASTING RESTRICTIONS THE LAUNCH WAS LIKELY TO BE DELAYED (THEY SAID LATER IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE PREPARED TO START BROADCASTING IN ENGLISH AND MANDARIN ONLY). THEY EXPECTED THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF HMG'S INTEREST IN THE PROJECT AND WOULD BE HURT IF NOT ENOUGH ENTHUSIASM WERE SHOWN. CAFTER THE MEETING, THEY SUGGESTED THERE WOULD BE ADVANTAGE IN REACHING AGREEMENT IN TIME