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Chapter 17

Media and Communications

Hong Kong's lively media and world-class telecommunications provide ready access to a wealth of information and entertainment, including the publication of 611 daily newspapers and periodicals locally. More than 93 per cent of households are broadband service subscribers and the mobile

subscriber penetration rate is about 286 per cent.

Hong Kong has one of the most successful telecommunications markets in the world. Fully liberalised and keenly competitive, the market provides a wide range of innovative and advanced telecommunications services to consumers and business users. The city also has a vibrant broadcasting industry, offering a multitude of television and radio channels with diversified programming.

Mass Media

Hong Kong's mass media at the end of 2019 included 82 daily newspapers (including electronic newspapers), 529 periodicals, three domestic free-TV programme service licensees, two domestic pay-TV programme service licensees, 12 non-domestic TV programme service licensees, two sound broadcasting licensees and one government-funded public service broadcaster.

The availability of the latest telecommunications technology and keen interest in Hong Kong's affairs have attracted many international news agencies, newspapers with international readership and international broadcasters to establish regional headquarters or representative offices here. The production of regional publications in Hong Kong underlines its importance as a financial, industrial, trading and communications centre.

Registered Hong Kong-based press at the year end included 53 Chinese-language dailies, 12 English-language dailies, 13 bilingual dailies and four in Japanese. One of the English dailies publishes a daily Braille edition in conjunction with the Hong Kong Society for the Blind. Of the Chinese-language dailies, 46 cover mainly local and international news, and the remaining ones specialise in other subjects such as financial news. The larger newspapers include overseas Chinese communities in their distribution networks and some have editions printed outside Hong Kong, particularly in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

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