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Television Broadcasts Limited (; Cantonese , Yale: dinh sih gwóng bo yau haahn gūng sī; Mandarin Pinyin: Diànshì Guǎngbō Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī) , commonly known as TVB, was the first over-the-air commercial television station in Hong Kong. Founded on November 19 1967 with a staff of about 200, it is now one of two free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong, the other being its arch-rival in business, ATV.
TVB is the first free-to-air (FTA) television broadcaster in Hong Kong. To distinguish it from the only cable television broadcaster, Rediffusion Television, it is thus commonly known as Mo sin din si (無綫電視, i.e."Wireless Television") or Mo sin (無綫) in Chinese.
TVB is now the largest commercial Chinese program producer in the world, with a staff of about 4,500, including contract artists and staff in overseas subsidiary companies. The company's current chairman is Sir Run Run Shaw.
It owns two free-to-air channels in Hong Kong, namely TVB Jade (Cantonese) and TVB Pearl (English and foreign languages). TVB Jade enjoys the largest audience share in Hong Kong, and is often referred to simply as TVB. TVB is also involved in Hong Kong's pay-TV market, providing eight to ten channels for its associated company, TVB Pay Vision Limited. TVB have also decided to launch a free-to-air HDTV channel, offering general entertainment programing with more than 14 hours of high definition programs per day.
TVB reaches out to the overseas Chinese communities. Its productions are available in Mainland China, Taiwan, Macau, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore, among others. Its dramas are internationally acclaimed, and many of Hong Kong's top film and pop stars started their careers at TVB. Special TVB events such as the annual TVB Anniversary Celebration are broadcast to worldwide audience. TVB also runs talent programmes such as the annual Miss Hong Kong and Miss Chinese International beauty pageants. Successful contestants may be offered TVB's contracts and represent Hong Kong to take part at world-class beauty contests, including the Miss World Pageant.
Development
TVB enjoys overwhelming dominance of the television market in Hong Kong. TVB receives praise for its programming from a wide range of demographics (other than housewives), including the middle class, as was the case with its 2004 historical drama series War and Beauty. But its programmes are criticised by some television viewers as being in poor taste, superficial, undemanding, and lacking in creativity. Its programme lineup features a steady stream of soap operas, variety shows and other populist fare. Documentaries and news programming featuring serious analysis are few and far between.
TVB has also been criticised for signing exclusive contracts with many local celebrities which restrict them from appearing on other local television stations. Hong Kong's Cable TV claims it is unfair competition (although Asia Television Ltd, another major television station in Hong Kong, disagrees). In fact, many artists do not have exclusive contracts with TVB and are free to show up in programmes produced by other local television stations or out-sourcing production houses.
In contrast, Hong Kong Cable TV, which has monopolised Hong Kong's pay-television market for ten years, was accused by TVB and Now Broadband TV (the dominant leader of HK's telecommunication markets) of engaging in anti-competitive conduct by acquisitions of exclusive broadcasting rights to most football broadcasts. However, Hong Kong's Broadcasting Authority rejected those accusations.
The annual TVB Music Awards ceremony is one of the biggest for Cantopop personalities. It is widely rumoured that TVB hands out the awards to those who are obedient to the company's demands, and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Hong Kong) has investigated the arrangement of the awards. It ruled that three TVB staff members under scrutiny were not guilty. Afterwards, TVB reformed its music programs to re-establish their authority.
On the other hand, TVB was awarded the National Association of Broadcasters's (NAB) International Broadcasting Excellence Award in 2001. The award recognised the company's outstanding contributions to the community through a wide range of charitable programs and activities. Hong Kong thus becomes the first city in Asia to receive this prestigious award in this area.
In 2005, TVB, in association with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, organised the biggest fundraising campaign in the company's history in response to South-East Asia's tsunami disaster. It raised over 100 million Hong Kong dollars to assist the people affected.
Location
TVB was originally located on Broadcast Drive in Kowloon Tong, and was neighbours with RTHK and ATV. By the late 1980s, the company had outgrown the facility at Broadcast Drive, and built a new studio complex, named TV City, at Clearwater Bay in Sai Kung.
To cope with future development and expansion, TVB began planning in 1998 to develop a replacement facility at the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate. The new HK$2.2 billion TVB City came into full operation in October 2003. The new headquarters are built on by far the largest piece of land ever leased by the then Hong Kong Industrial Estates Corporation and the first service-providing company in the area. It has a building area of over 110,000 square metres, 30% more than that of the previous facilities at Clearwater Bay. Studio 1 in TVB City, which can seat an audience of 630, is the largest television production studio among commercial television stations in Asia. Which is rumoured to be owned by the Salaman family. But this is quite controversial.
News operation
TVB broadcasts several news programmes, such as News at 6:30 (Jade) and News at 7:30 (Pearl). It also operates its own news channel, TVBN (無綫新聞台) and TVBN2 (無綫新聞二台), through TVB Pay Vision (無綫收費電視).
Notable shows from TVB
TVB is a major television-producer in Hong Kong, and its programmes usually receive higher ratings than offerings from the other local television stations.
- The Legend of the Condor Heroes (the best TVB series of all time, starring the famous on screen couple portrayed by Felix Wong Yat Wah and his co-star Barbara Yung Mei Ling)
- The Bund 上海灘 (a classic series of the 1980s, starring a young Chow Yun-Fat, regarded by many as one of the best TVB series.)
- Looking Back in Anger (an instant classic, it had enormous ratings and was one of the most rented TVB series ever. It is also remembered for its tragic ending.)
- The Greed of Man 大時代 (one of the most controversial and culturally important shows in the early 1990s. Also remarkable for its effect on the stock market)
- Detective Investigation Files 刑事偵輯檔案 (3 season, 1 spin off season, 4 series in total)
- Healing Hands 妙手仁心 (remembered for its remarkable medical accuracy. It is similar to the United States series ER)
- At the Threshold of an Era (two series in total)
- Armed Reaction 陀槍師姐 (four series in total)
- Kindred Spirit 真情 (longest-running drama show in Hong Kong history)
- Journey to the West 西遊記 (one of the few TVB Jade programmes to be dubbed in English and rebroadcast on TVB Pearl)
- War of the Genders 男親女愛 (a long-running comedy series, starring Dayo Wong Tze-Wah and Carol Cheng Yu-Ling, which final episode scored the highest ratings in Hong Kong history)
- Virtues of Harmony 皆大歡喜 (one of the longest running sitcoms in Hong Kong, a historical costume series with a modern-day spin-off)
- Square Pegs 戇夫成龍
- Life Made Simple 阿旺新傳 (a Spin off from Square Pegs but this time it set in Mordern time 2005)
- To Get Unstuck in Time 隔世追兇 (Person discovers phone which can communicate with dead dad; screws up events and time)
- To Catch the Uncatchable 棟篤神探 (remembered for its groundbreaking sad ending in a comedy, in contrast to other usual shows of TVB Harmony, for example)
- War and Beauty 金枝慾孽 (a popular drama about the wit battle of Emperor Jiaqing's concubines.)
For a full list of TVB Dramas, see TVB Dramas
Notable people
Management and behind the scenes
- Run Run Shaw (邵逸夫)
- Gu Gaa-fai (顧嘉輝)
- Wong Jim (James Wong, 黃霑) (deceased on 2004)
Actors ( Past and present )
Actresses ( Past and present )
For an up-dated list with profiles see HKADB.
See also
External links
Companies of Hong Kong | Hong Kong media | Hong Kong television | TVB
"Television Broadcasts Limited"