Local broadcasting giant TVB has announced plans for a fee-based TV streaming service to compete with Netflix, which launched in Hong Kong last week.
Ming Pao (as translated by EJI) detailed TVB’s “myTV Super service”, which will feature five free-to-air channels, 13 fee-based channels, and an interactive Disney channel.
TVB chief executive, Mark Lee, said the station has to adapt to new platforms or risk being obsolete, adding that even his own family views media via streaming services and tablets.
Ironically, the broadcasting company’s attempts to attract an online audience comes hot on the heels of a popular Youtuber’s viral video slamming TVB for being backwards, outdated and unrelatable to young online audiences.
In “Dear TVB”, Hong Kong Youtuber Asha Cuthbert took the network to task for a segment titled “The Internet of Things on TV” (catchy), which saw veteran Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Jing tell two local vloggers they were unsuccessful.
Wong justified his claims by saying vlogging “for fun” wouldn’t enable them to buy a house or a car, two things that he sees as the ultimate measurements of success in Hong Kong.
Cuthbert criticised Wong’s comments as materialistic and indicative of Hong Kong programming’s narrow mindedness. She opined that the reason why Hong Kong media has yet to reach an “international standard” is due to its backwards thinking and inability to foster the creativity of its online communities (i.e. Youtubers and other social media personalities), unlike the BBC.
