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Media and Communications

Broadcasting

Commercial Broadcasting

Hong Kong's broadcasting policy objectives are to widen programme choice and diversity through competition, to facilitate the introduction of innovative broadcasting services, and to enhance the city's position as a regional broadcasting hub. It adopts a facilitating and pro- competition approach to promote the use of innovative technologies and provides a liberalised and light-handed regulatory environment that moves with the times.

TV broadcasters and their transmission networks are regulated separately. A TV broadcaster may choose to engage any transmission network operator to transmit its programmes instead of investing in transmission infrastructure itself. This arrangement facilitates market entry and encourages competition.

The Broadcasting Ordinance regulates the four categories of TV programme services - domestic free, domestic pay, non-domestic (mainly satellite TV services targeting the Asia-Pacific) and other licensable TV programme services (mainly TV services for hotel rooms) - according to their characteristics and pervasiveness. Sound broadcasting services are regulated under the Telecommunications Ordinance and Broadcasting (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance.

At the end of 2020, Hong Kong had about 800 satellite and pay-TV channels available in digital format and over one million subscribers to internet TV. Ten licensed satellite TV broadcasters provided more than 190 channels mainly targeting the Asia-Pacific region. Three domestic free-TV licensees operated nine digital TV channels.

As to radio, two sound broadcasting licensees provided six radio channels as at the

year end.

Public Service Broadcasting Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is a government department that serves as the city's public service broadcaster. It provides editorially independent, professional and quality radio, TV and new media services. The RTHK Charter enshrines RTHK's editorial independence and sets out its public purposes, mission and relationship with the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, the CA and the RTHK Board of Advisors.

RTHK operates three FM and four AM radio channels, offering radio programmes in Cantonese, English, Putonghua and other languages, including 17 hours of radio programmes every week under the Community Involvement Broadcasting Service.

RTHK operates three digital TV channels providing round-the-clock service. Programmes are mainly in Cantonese, with some in English or Putonghua, while some include Nepalese and Urdu subtitles. To cater for the visually or hearing impaired, some programmes incorporate audio descriptions or sign language. As from April, RTHK digital TV channels were transmitted through 29 transmitting stations, covering about 99 per cent of the population.

RTHK harnesses the multimedia potential of new media platforms, providing a number of mobile applications. In 2020, the RTHK website averaged over 635,000 visits per day.

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