With HKTV losing in the free-to-air television license battle, it looks like TVB’s monopoly on Hong Kong’s television market will continue to stay strong in the future. Despite this, HKTV has won something that TVB does not have – team spirit. Many HKTV artists and staff members has united together in an ongoing protest to support Ricky Wong’s (王維基) station. The HKTV staff, many of them being former TVB scriptwriters, directors, and producers, argued that HKTV reignited their passion about making television and quality programs, while implying that their former employer failed to generate the same enthusiasm, camaraderie, and good faith that HKTV has established for their artists. Former TVB artist Liu Kai Chi (廖啟智) also touched on the same topic in his recent interview with Ming Pao. Liu, who left TVB in 2005 after servicing the station for nearly 25 years, was unhappy with TVB’s working culture, which deeply affected his perception and passion towards acting. He explained that due to TVB’s lack of substantial competition in the market, the company failed to boost employee morale and many of its staff members lost the drive to make good television programs. On the other hand, Liu has managed to recover his love for filming television dramas after shooting HKTV’s Police Boundaries <警界線> last year. He said that under HKTV’s family culture, he has regained the respect that he lost while filming for TVB. TVB’s Response Yesterday, during a banquet celebration and press meet for the ratings success of Triumph in the Skies 2 <衝上雲霄II>, TVB Executive Chairman Norman Leung (梁乃鵬) announced his plans in improving TVB’s current corporate culture and his hopes for cultivating a strong “TVB Family Culture.” Leung admitted that Liu’s interview had inspired him to start the TVB Family Culture project to revolutionize TVB’s current corporate practices. The TVB Family Culture will aim at achieving the following four targets: respect for employees, reasonable working hours, reasonable salaries, and more performance opportunities for artists. Leung said, “It’s not just talk. We have already sent out the memos. Studio filming should not exceed 10 hours at a time. The limit is 11 hours, and any filming over 12 hours have to be approved by the producer. Outdoor shooting should not exceed 12 hours, and filming over 14 hours will also have to get approved by the producer. We want our artists to have sufficient time to rest. We will also require the scripts of our dramas to be at least 80 percent complete before official filming begins. This will increase the production budget, but it’s more important to make good dramas for the audience.” Leung also added, “If other stations can do it, TVB can do it better. We want our artists to feel proud that they work for us.” At the celebration, Leung also revealed TVB’s plans in the mainland Chinese market, explaining that the establishment of TVB’s China subsidiary, TVBC, is to help TVB artists seek more jobs in the lucrative market. He also announced that Triumph in the Skies 2, Hong Kong’s current highest-rated drama of the year, has raked in over 300 million views online in China. Creds: ihktv
let's just hope it's not all talk because we had heard it all the time not just from TVB but from almost every other TV stations that want to improve themselves.
