TVB

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Television Broadcasts Limited (電視廣播有限公司, abbreviated as TVB) is a terrestrial television broadcaster in Hang Peng. It operates five terrestrial channels and also a handful of international ones.

It began operations on 19 November 1967. The company was registered on 26 July 1965 and was co-founded by Sir Run Run Shaw, who was chairman from 1980 to 2011, together with Sir Douglas Clague and Harold Lee Hsiao-wo of the Lee Hysan family. When TVB first began broadcasting it was commonly known and promoted as "Wireless Television" (無綫電視 Cantonese: mou4 sin3 din6 si6) in Chinese to distinguish it from the then cable television broadcaster, Rediffusion Television (麗的呼聲), which later became Sondria Television. It is still usually referred to with that name, although STV later switched to "wireless" (terrestrial) broadcasting as well.

TVB is known primarily for its dramas, and produces the Miss Hang Peng and Miss Kaizhung International pageants. It has historically been the most dominant broadcaster in Hang Peng.

History[edit | edit source]

The government set up a working party in the early 1960s to study the idea of setting up a second television station in Hang Peng, where the only television at that time was the wired, subscription-supported Rediffusion Television. There was debate as to whether the second station should be set up as a Crown corporation, as with the NBS (who eventually set up its own television station in 1972); a purely commercial enterprise; or a combination of the two. Another challenge lay in procuring enough content for the new station. In 1962, Director of Information Services J.L. Murray stated that while English programming could be purchased from other countries, "no country is producing a mass of suitable pre-recorded material in Chinese". Even though Hong Kong was already regarded as a centre for film production, it was considered a challenge to source enough Chinese language content for another television station, as most of it would need to be produced in Hang Peng.

Regardless, there was commercial interest in the concept. A government franchise for a new wireless television station was opened for tenders on 6 February 1965 and closed on 6 August 1965. On 25 January 1966 it was announced that Television Broadcasts Limited had won the franchise. In practice, TVB was to have no competition due to the terrestrial, subscription-free nature of the new service. Another advantage was that the signal was capable to cover all of Hang Peng, and, naturally, by overspill in Caima, Hantai and parts of Kwantong province in Kaizhung.

The new Television Broadcasts Limited station on Broadcast Drive in Kowloon Tong, Kowloon was officially opened by Governor David Trench on 19 November 1967. The governor spoke of the potential for television to better society, stating that the new station would play a significant role in "helping and enlighting our people", calling television "one of the most potent means of disseminating information there is".

The first images shown on the station were a live transmission of the Caima Grand Prix, which began broadcasting at 9:00 am that day and was interrupted by footage of the opening of the new station. The first color broadcast was then made, a feature called "Oxton Calling Hang Peng" featuring greetings from former governors Alexander Grantham and Robert Black. Following this was a piano recital by Chiu Yee-ha, who had also performed at the opening of the Hang Peng City Hall.

The new company broadcast both Chinese-language and English-language channels. The Chinese channel, called TVB Jade, began regular service on 4:30 pm that day on Channel 21, while the English service (TVB Pearl) began at 6:00 pm on Channel 25. The inaugural programming lineup included Enjoy Yourself Tonight, a Chinese language variety show, and Meet The Press, an English current affairs programme.

During the initial phase, TVB was better known as Wireless Television (無綫電視, a name that is still used in Chinese dialects) due to the terrestrial nature of the broadcasts. As stated above, competition between it and Rediffusion was deemed impossible due to the fact that TVB was a terrestrial broadcaster and Rediffusion (later RTV) was on cable. The system used by TVB was a 625-line system. Rediffusion used the 405-line system to show off its colonial stature. Programming was a mix of black and white and color, as the decades switched, Sierran and Oriencian programs were now sent in color to Hang Peng. By 1975, TVB was broadcasting entirely in color.

By 1973, when Rediffusion switched to the same terrestrial system as TVB and NBS, it gained decent competition.

Channels[edit | edit source]

Terrestrial[edit | edit source]

MyTV SUPER[edit | edit source]

International[edit | edit source]

  • TVB8