Hong Kong Plans to Ease Indirect Ad Rules for Broadcasters

Hong Kong authorities plan to relax restrictions on indirect advertising for broadcasters as local operators face fierce competition from online and streaming media, Commerce and Economic Development Secretary Algernon Yau Ying-wah has said.

The proposed easing is intended to help local broadcasters compete more effectively with online streaming platforms and improve their business environment.

In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post, Yau said many broadcast operators had asked the government to review the Generic Codes of Practice for Television.

The operators sought the review to improve the business environment, according to Yau, who said the government had responded to their concerns.

“They’re saying that the competition from other media is very strong, and it’s very difficult for them to survive, and then we have to be up market and then match the practice internationally,” Yau said on Thursday.

The planned review comes as broadcasters contend with competition from online and streaming media, which authorities identified as a major pressure on the sector.

It also reflects the government’s stated intention to ensure that television regulations keep pace with changing conditions in the media industry.

In the annual policy address released last month, the government pledged to review the television code so regulations would keep pace with the times and diversified, quality programmes would be broadcast.

The policy address also said the review would help expand the reach of the “Hong Kong Brand” in the Asia-Pacific region.

The planned relaxation therefore connects advertising regulation with both the commercial pressures facing broadcasters and the government’s wider policy objectives for television programming and Hong Kong’s regional presence.

Source: South China Morning Post