406 Communications, the Media and Information Technology
cope with challenges in the converging environment. The Government will consult the public on details of the proposal in 2005.
The Government encourages the deployment of digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcasting technology in Hong Kong to enhance spectrum efficiency and enable the provision of new services such as high-definition television broadcasting, which is not possible in the analogue mode. In July 2004, the Government promulgated a framework for implementing DTT broadcasting in Hong Kong. The two incumbent terrestrial broadcasters, ATV and TVB, are required to launch DTT by 2007, and achieve 75% of coverage of their digital services by 2008.
Film Industry
Hong Kong is one of the world's major film production centres, with 64 films produced and released locally last year, the main genres being action films, romance films and comedies.
In 2004, there were 57 cinemas (with 197 screens), compared with 57 cinemas (with 188 screens) in 2003. Box-office hits of the year1 included The Day After Tomorrow ($41.63 million), Kung Fu Hustle2 ($41.33 million), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ($33.92 million), Spider Man 2 ($31.91 million) and Fantasia ($25.24 million).
Government Support
The Government is committed to providing a favourable environment conducive to the healthy long-term development of the film industry in Hong Kong. The Film Services Advisory Committee was established in May 1998 to provide a conduit for dialogue between the industry and the Government and to advise on the work of the Film Services Office (FSO) set up under the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority. The FSO facilitates film production in Hong Kong and promotes Hong Kong films locally and abroad. The Committee is appointed by the Chief Executive and comprises the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology as the chairman, four representatives from the Government and public bodies, and 10 non-official members.
Film Services Office
Since its establishment in April 1998, the FSO has obtained the agreement of over 1 900 organisations, including government departments, on the use of their premises for location filming and has published reference materials in this regard for the industry. To facilitate film production in Hong Kong, the FSO provides a one-stop service to the film industry for location filming requests of a more complicated nature. During the year, it dealt with 500 such requests, with a 99 per cent success rate. To assist the film industry in applying for lane closures for location filming purposes, the FSO, in consultation with the Police Force, Transport Department and Highways Department, promulgated a set of guidelines in March 2001. Under this
Note 1: Box-office receipts as at December 31, 2004.
Note 2: The film was still showing after December 31, 2004.
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