2) The article makes the assumption that readers already have basic knowledge about the HK Television industry…so in order to better understand the article, here’s some background info:
* Current free-to-air TV stations in HK: Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) & Asia Television Limited (ATV)
* 3 new free-to-air television licenses to be issued this year (2012) to the following companies:
City Telecom (CTI), owned by businessman Ricky Wong
Fantastic Television, owned by i-Cable Communications (long-time cable operator in HK)
HK Television Entertainment Company (HKTVE), owned by telecommunications company PCCW (which also owns NowTV)
.******.
When a new power emerges, it is inevitable that recruitment efforts take place in order to be prepared and aim to make the biggest impact.
With the exception of i-Cable, which has remained relatively low-key about their free-to-air television plans, both CTI and NowTV have already started to ‘organize their troops’ since last year, employing various tactics such as using the lure of ‘big money’ (CTI) or playing the ‘friendship’ card (NowTV) to ‘recruit’ a large number of TVB artists as well as behind-the-scenes staff. With its decades-long reign as the ‘King’ of HK television being threatened with an onslaught of new competition, TVB has been ‘fighting back’ by urgently seeking out suitable candidates to fill the positions left vacant by the loss of staff.
From this moment on, the “tradition” of HK television artists being only from TVB or ATV will be re-written and the ‘spectacle’ of showing off all of their assets in one shot [i.e.: having the entire station’s artists show up to support a particular event] will no longer be a special ‘privilege’ reserved only for TVB. Even though a ‘substantial’ change in power [i.e.: issuing of the free-to-air licenses] has yet to take place, we are already starting to see a major ‘shift’ in talent both in front of the camera (the artists) as well as behind the scenes (the producers & scriptwriters).
Below is a look at the upcoming ‘battlefield’:
ASIA TELEVISION (ATV)
Operations base: Tai Po
Company Head:
Wong Jing – Investor
James Shing – Executive Director
Major Behind-the-scenes ‘Leaders’:
Yip Ka Bo -- Deputy Director
Kam Kwok Leung – Tactical Advisor [and current host of special program《 ATV 100 Celebrities》《亚视百人》]
Artists outlook:
> Paw Hee Ching, Eva Lai, Gilbert Lam – continue to remain at ATV, focus will be on hosting variety shows and various ‘lifestyle’ programs related to food, fashion, current trends, etc.
> Kenneth Chan, Jaclyn Chu – long-time ATV artists who once left the company but have since returned to become the ‘pillars’ of the station
> Cai Lan (蔡瀾) – hosted culinary / food-related shows for TVB for many years; this year, will be hosting the culinary program 《蔡瀾亞洲一樂也》for ATV as ‘outside help’.
> Clifton Ko [famous HK director / producer of film, TV, concerts, and stageplays] – will continue to host the《Clifton Ko Weibo 》for ATV.
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i-Cable Communications
Operations base: Tsuen Wan
Company Head: Stephen Ng – Chairman & CEO
Major Behind-the-scenes ‘Leaders’:
Ronald Chiu– Executive Director in charge of News platform
Samuel Tsang– Executive Director in charge of Entertainment platform
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City Telecom (CTI)
Operations base: Kwai Chung (New Territories), Tseung Kwan O
Company Head: Ricky Wong -- Chairman
Major Behind-the-scenes ‘Leaders’:
> Lau Choi Wan (劉彩雲 ) – former TVB ‘golden’ scriptwriter (“Ghetto Justice”)
> So Man Chong (蘇萬聰) – former TVB series senior director (“Lives of Omission”)
> Tang Yuen Mei (鄧婉媚) – former TVB producer of variety shows (“On the Road”)
> Cheung Wah Biu (張華標) – former TVB ‘golden’ scriptwriter (“Heart of Greed”, “Moonlight Resonance”, “Rosy Business”, “No Regrets”, etc.)
Artists outlook:
> Felix Wong– dubbed ‘CTI’s first brother’ by the Media at CTI’s groundbreaking ceremony; signed per series contract with CTI, set to film a science fiction-themed investigative series, possible collaboration with his daughter Adrian Wong (黄芷晴).
> Maggie Cheung – ‘replaced’ in TVB major productions “The Great Eunuch” and “Legend of Empress Lui” due to contract issues; verbally promised that she will be filming 1 series for CTI in the second half of the year.
> Bernice Liu – left TVB after being ‘thrown aside’; signed with a management company that Ricky Wong has investment ties to.
> Frankie Lam – former TVB siu sang; signed 2 year management contract with CTI
> Joe Ma – final series at TVB “Special Duties Unit” being placed in weekend timeslot; signed with a management company that Ricky Wong has investment ties to.
> John Chiang, Leila Tong, Catherine Chau, Lisa Lui, Felix Lok, Maria Chan, Rain Lau, Yuen Wah, Yu Mo Lian, etc – all former TVB veteran and second/third-line artists
> Former singers who used to have ties to TVB, such as Prudence Liew, Kelvin Kwan, Benji Chiang , etc.
.***.
NowTV (HKTVE)
Operations base: Quarry Bay
Company Head: Ho Lai Chuen (何麗全) – Chief Director of Television & New Media; Director of Production) [former TVB director of Variety / non-drama department]
Major Behind-the-scenes ‘Leaders’: Lau Ka Ho (劉家豪) and Miu Siu Ching (梅小青) – former TVB husband/wife team ‘golden’ producers; officially join NowTV in March.
Artists outlook:
> Bowie Lam – former TVB siu sang; officially signed with NowTV and management company ATN Talent Management Inc. (大國豐臣) [a company created by former film producer Terence Chang in joint effort with NowTV and Tong’s Entertainment.
> Wong Hei – former TVB siu sang; officially signed with ATN at end of last year; will be hosting a variety program in March and filming his first series [for NowTV] in April.
> Singers Sandy Lam, Hacken Lee, William So, Kay Tse, Hins Cheung, etc. performed at the opening concert for NowTV’s Mango Channel . Also, ‘TVB’s god-son’ Hacken Lee signed with NowTV to host the live broadcast of the 2012 European Nations Cup.
> Former TVB hosts Joey Leung (梁榮忠), Vinci Wong (王賢誌), and Anna Yau (丘凱敏) will also be hosting programs for NowTV
.***.
Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB)
Operations base: Tseung Kwan O
Company Head: Norman Leung – Deputy Chairman
Major Behind-the-scenes ‘Leaders’:
> Yu Wing Shan (余詠珊) – former executive of TVB’s Payvision channels who was recruited back to take over the helm of TVB’s Variety / Non-drama department (the position left vacant by Ho Lai Chuen)
> Catherine Tsang & Tommy Leung will continue to head up the Drama production department
> Head of Production and Resources Virginia Lok will continue to oversee the Artists Department -- not only is her department picking up the pace now with contract discussions of current artists, they are also starting to recruit other station’s artists as well.
> Stephen Chan’s General Manager position continues to remain vacant.
Artists outlook:
> Alice Chan – former ATV fadan; just finished signing per series contract with TVB; will be participating in upcoming grand production “War and Beauty 2”
> Joey Man & Coffee Lu – former ATV fadans; Virginia Lok personally contacted them to discuss possible collaboration; as of this moment, neither artist has made a decision on whether to join TVB
> ‘Biological’ children Myolie Wu, Fala Chan, Tavia Yeung, Linda Chung, Kate Tsui, Moses Chan, Kevin Cheng, Michael Tse, Ron Ng, Raymond Lam, Bosco Wong, Kenneth Ma, etc. will continue to remain.
> Other ‘regulars’ including Carol (Dodo) Cheng, Liza Wang, Louise Lee, Wayne Lai, Michael Miu, etc. will continue to support TVB.
.***.
Former TVB artists who will be focusing their efforts up North (Mainland China)
> Charmaine Sheh – former TVB fadan; switched to ‘per series’ contract and has been focusing her efforts in the Mainland; signed with management company ‘Creative Arts Productions’ (創藝製作發行有限公司), which has business relations with Ricky Wong’s CTI, however this has not affected her continued good relationship with TVB.
> Jessica Hsuan – former TVB fadan; currently a free artist; has stated that Ricky Wong has approached her, however a possible collaboration “is still too distant – will wait until there is a substantive script before discussing further.”
> Steven Ma – former TVB siu sang; served TVB for 18 years; early termination of his contract was officially completed this month; currently filming grand production Mainland series “Legend of the Yuan Empire Founder” with Charmaine Sheh; as of this moment, has not signed with a management company.
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