Entrepreneur slams ViuTV for focusing on variety shows rather than home-grown dramas
JEFFIE LAM AND GARY CHEUNG
UPDATED : Sunday, 29 May, 2016, 6:00pm
HKTV chairman Ricky Wong says renovation work on his multimedia centre in Tseung Kwan O will be finished by the end of the year. Photo: Dickson Lee
Media entrepreneur Ricky Wong Wai-kay has panned new free-to-air TV station ViuTV for its lack of local elements, saying it “has no guts and no commitment” to Hong Kong.
A truly committed free TV station should have placed its focus on producing dramas – which involved more resources and manpower – rather than variety shows, the HKTV boss said.
In 2013 the Executive Council contentiously turned down the free-to-air licence application by HKTV, which has produced a number of local dramas. The decision to only award PCCW – owner of ViuTV – and CableTV the licences sparked a series of protests in the city and demands for the government to quash its ruling.
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“Only by producing dramas can talent be nurtured in TV production,” Wong told the Post in an interview.
Wong recalled how he had offered comprehensive classes at HKTV to equip actors, dancers and even make-up artists with basic skills.
ViuTV, which launched in April, has aired several hit reality shows including Travel with Rivals and all-female mixed martial arts reality show G-1 Fight Club,which features eight fighting starlets.
With an apparent reference to ViuTV’s move to broadcast the popular Korean drama Descendants of the Sun in prime time as one of its highlights, Wong said the new channel should have offered shows with more local elements.
ViuTV did not respond to inquiries, but in an earlier interview with the Post, Lo Ting-fai, general manager of ViuTV, said the station would focus on producing “factual entertainment” instead of fully scripted fictional drama series to attract a younger audience.
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Meanwhile for his brainchild HKTV, Wong said it would resume its drama productions early next year despite a ruling by the Court of Appeal in April which overturned a lower court’s decision to have his free TV licence application reconsidered.
The renovation of HKTV’s multimedia centre in Tseung Kwan O would be completed by the end of this year, offering four studios of 10,000 sq ft each, he added.
Wong also planned to introduce robots from Germany to help the daily operation of his e-commerce platform HKTV mall – the first of its kind in Asia.
The mall’s warehouse would also be moved from Kowloon Bay to a 145,000 sq ft area in Tsing Yi next month because of the growing business.
Wong remained positive, although there was still a long way for his e-commerce platform to break-even.
“Even Amazon has yet to start recording any surplus,” he said, referring to the American e-commerce giant.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1958604/no-guts-and-no-commitment-hong-kong-media-boss-ricky-wongs-damning
