Bordering the People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong was a British colony for more than 150 years. As a result of the Anglo-Chinese wars in the mid-nineteenth century, Hong Kong Island and the southern tip of the Kowloon peninsula were ceded by China to Britain through the Treaty of Nanking in 1842 and the Convention of Peking in 1860; northern Kowloon was then leased to the British government for 99 years in 1898. The British and Chinese governments agreed to transfer jurisdiction of all Hong Kong territories to the PRC at midnight, 1 July 1997. According to the Basic Law resolved in 1990 by British and Chinese leaders, Hong Kong will maintain its existing social and economic systems for fifty years subsequent to this transition.

Amidst these dramatic changes, people in Hong Kong rely on television as a central source of information and entertainment. On average, Hong Kong residents watch more than three hours of television each day, making this a more popular leisure activity than playing computer games, seeing films, or even singing karaoke. Out of approximately 6 million inhabitants, more than 90% have televisions in their homes. Among those who do have televisions, about one-third have more than one set at home, while two-thirds also have at least one video-cassette recorder.

The television industries in Hong Kong fit within the economic structure of the territory, favoring private enterprise and free trade. All of the television stations are commercial, with the government receiving a proportion of advertising or subscription revenues from each broadcasting system. Hong Kong carries two terrestrial television stations, Asia Television Limited (ATV) and Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB); a satellite television station (Star TV); and a cable system (Wharf Cable Limited).

Although a significant proportion of the television programming is produced within the territory, many programs are imported from other countries. Imported programs may be dubbed into Cantonese, the dialect of Chinese spoken in the region, or subtitled in Chinese characters, in order to be understood by the Hong Kong community. Aside from importing news, entertainment series and films from the West, most animated programs are imported from Japan, and several popular fictional series are imported from Taiwan. For example, one of the most popular dramas shown in Hong Kong is the Taiwanese series Pao the Judge, which depicts the exploits of a Song Dynasty magistrate in an elaborate costume drama. It is estimated that approximately one-third of Hong Kong residents on a given evening watch this program, which is broadcast on both terrestrial stations.

Each of the terrestrial stations transmits two channels, in order to cater to audiences with different language skills: TVB broadcasts the Jade channel in Cantonese and the Pearl channel predominantly in English, while ATV broadcasts the Home channel in Cantonese, and the World channel mostly in English. These stations are required by the Hong Kong government to provide this English-language service to the community as part of their licensing agreement. This condition is being phased out though, given the changing political structure in the territory.

Controlled by a private corporation, the Lai Sun Group, ATV offers a service similar to that of its competitor, although its programming is not as popular nor the station as wealthy as TVB. Independent research groups have estimated that the average viewer watches TVB Jade (69%) and ATV Home (22%) most often, followed by TVB Pearl (6%) or ATV World (3%). Given that most of the population speak Cantonese but not English, the two English-language channels are not as popular as are their Cantonese-language counterparts.

TVB is by far the dominant station within the Hong Kong community. Controlled by the private interests of Sir Run Run Shaw and the Kerry Group (under the direction of financier Robert Kuok), profits generally exceed US$40 million each year. During prime-time hours, it is estimated that TVB's two stations, Jade and Pearl, command more than three-quarters of the market share of Hong Kong's viewing public. Jade, producing most of its own programming in the local language, enjoys by far the greater part of this popularity.

Initiating broadcasting in 1967, TVB was the first television station in the territory. In 1971, TVB produced its first local television program in color, a musical variety show known as Enjoy Yourself Tonight, which remains on the air as Hong Kong's longest running program. In recent years, the station has developed its technological capacity to improve the appeal of foreign programming to the Hong Kong audience. TVB operates its own Chinese character generator for subtitling, and has employed a localized NICAM (Near Instantaneously Compounded Audio Multiplex) system since 1991, offering viewers with equipped television sets the choice of viewing designated programs in different languages (typically Cantonese, Mandarin or English). Forty percent of households with televisions have a set equipped with NICAM capabilities.

TVB not only produces most (about 80%) of the programming for its Jade channel, but it also distributes Chinese-language programs globally. TVB exports about two-thirds of its programming to other countries including Taiwan, China and Malaysia. In addition, TVB is developing satellite and cable television stations to broadcast its programming in Taiwan, Indonesia, Europe, Canada (in Toronto and Vancouver), and the United States (in San Francisco and Los Angeles). Satellite television channels established for Chinese viewers in Western regions broadcast programs in Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese. As part of a consortium with other global television industries, such as the Turner Broadcasting System, Australian Broadcasting, ESPN and Home Box Office, TVB also intends to develop a new satellite system to broadcast throughout Asia.

The Government of Hong Kong does not have its own television station, but instead requires the two terrestrial stations to carry programming and advertisements in the public interest (APIs) that its agency, Radio-Television Hong Kong (RTHK), produces. RTHK stipulates the blocks of time within which these public programs and APIs must be aired. Although privatization for RTHK had been considered, this television agency, along with its seven radio services, will remain under government control even after the transition to PRC rule in 1997.

RTHK Programs are designed to be informative and to address local issues. For example, one popular RTHK program, known as All in a Family, addresses cross-cultural relationships through the presentation of a family drama, in which a Cantonese-speaking American man marries into a local Hong Kong family. Some RTHK programming on current affairs has been exported to Vancouver, Canada, for the benefit of Hong Kong immigrants there.

Television options available to local Hong Kong residents have been increasing in the past few years. Satellite television was first offered in 1991, while a cable system was initiated by Wharf in 1993. By 1993, approximately one-fifth of the households in Hong Kong had the capability to receive satellite television services through connection with Star TV. From its base in Hong Kong, Star TV reaches approximately 38 countries from Egypt to Japan, and from Indonesia to Siberia. Rupert Murdoch's Australian-based News Corporation purchased 63.3% of this station from HutchVision Limited (BVI) and the Li Ka-shing family for approximately US$525 million in 1994.

Star TV offers Chinese programming (from Hong Kong, Taiwan, the PRC and Japan), Sports, Entertainment (mostly Western programs) and a music video channel. Originally, an Asian version of Music Television (MTV) was part of the Star TV package, but this was later replaced by a local Asian broadcast known as Channel V, which divided into a Mandarin-dominated music video service for northern Asia and a Hindi-dominated music video service for western Asia. In addition to broadcasting regional productions, Channel V broadcasts videos supplied by global corporations, such as Warner Music, EMI, PolyGram, Sony and BMG. Star TV had also offered the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World News Service, but this channel was dropped subsequent to Murdoch's purchase and the objections raised by the PRC over a documentary the BBC had produced about the reign of Mao Zedong (described below).

In 1993, Wharf Cable, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wharf Communications Investments Limited, was awarded a twelve-year license to offer cable services in Hong Kong. During its first three years, Wharf held an exclusive right to expand cable services without competition, while being restricted from carrying advertisements. At the end of its first year, approximately 15% of Hong Kong households had subscribed to cable television services at the cost of about US$3 per month. As a new and popular service, the number of households wired for cable television has been increasing rapidly.

Most Wharf Cable programming is transmitted in Cantonese, or subtitled in Chinese if produced in another language. Currently, channels are devoted to family entertainment, movies, sports, English-language news and finance, education, informational programs for foreign nationals, and a preview channel. Wharf's license stipulates that at least three channels should be allocated for government use. One of these has been discussed as a potential public access channel for local communities, but concerns that an unregulated service might invite politically sensitive messages seem to be stifling this initiative.

The impending political transition sparked many controversies concerning the regulation of television ownership and content. Some believed that the new regime would reshape the television industry to suit its own interests. For example, PRC government officials warned that television programs ought to promote patriotism, collectivism and socialism, but not consumerism, while PRC television stations have been cautious about importing foreign programs, particularly music shows produced in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Although many homes (some estimate almost two-thirds of households in the southern area of China's Guangzhou province) have access to cable television services, satellite dishes are officially banned for personal use as a "matter of national sovereignty, to protect Chinese culture."

The impending political transition led many observers of Hong Kong media industries to be concerned over potential state- and self-censorship. These issues are already paramount in decisions over television broadcasting. In 1994 the ATV news staff resigned over a battle with their management concerning the screening of a Spanish documentary that included coverage of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre; this program was aired as scheduled following this well-publicized disagreement.

Another recent controversy reflects these political concerns in the Hong Kong television industry. A documentary, Chairman Mao: The Last Emperor, was produced by the BBC and aired in Britain in 1993, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mao's birth. This documentary addresses sufferings caused by Mao's failed economic policies as well as his alleged relations with young girls. The PRC government voiced its anger over the distribution of the film, noting that the documentary may "hurt the feelings of Chinese people" in its portrayal of Mao. In response to the BBC's production of this documentary, the PRC government extended new restrictions on BBC operations within China. Moreover, this film was not broadcast on television in Hong Kong, despite being purchased by TVB and being approved by public censors representing the Hong Kong Film Censorship Ordinance (even though this very ordinance prohibits screening films that might damage relations with other countries). Instead, private organizations broadcast this documentary to community groups within the territory.

Regulation over the television industry in Hong Kong attempts to maintain existing diversity and indigenous control of the industry. To avoid monopolization, television stations may only invest in each other up to 15%. Murdoch failed to buy into TVB (before investing in Star TV), because he encountered a local regulation, supported by the PRC, that no foreigner should own more than 15% of a local terrestrial television station. In addition, political and religious groups are disqualified from acquiring local television licenses.

Television broadcasting licenses are subject to periodic renewal from the government of Hong Kong through its Broadcasting Authority (BA), established in 1987. Approximately twelve BA members meet on a monthly basis to review issues concerning broadcasting industries. This body may issue warnings and impose fines against violations of license conditions. The BA processes more than 800 complaints from the public each year, one fifth of which concern television reception, while the others concern program and advertising content, typically about violence or obscene language.

Programming standards set by the BA dictate appropriate content concerning subject matters, such as crime, family life and violence, as well as suitable presentations of cigarettes and alcohol. Regulations also define permissible commercial advertising and sponsorship of programs; for example, tobacco companies are not authorized to advertise, but instead may sponsor programs, such as sporting events and music videos.

In accordance with their licensing conditions, terrestrial television stations are required to produce certain types of programs (public affairs and children's programs among them) in defined quantities. Designated blocks of time also incur different sets of regulations: for example, the 4:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. family viewing period holds strict regulations regarding the content of programming.

With the transition to Chinese rule in 1997, television in Hong Kong must balance a tension between needing to adapt to the ideology of new political leadership with attempting to maintain the economic success of the industry.

-Karen Gwinn Wilkins