Warning for TVB over talks with HKTV
Watchdog says broadcaster could fall foul of competition laws if it is 'unreasonable' about lease of transmission stations for mobile TV
TVB could be in breach of telecoms laws if it refuses to lease transmission stations to Hong Kong Television Network for its mobile TV broadcasts, the Communications Authority has warned.
TVB announced last month it had terminated an agreement with China Mobile Hong Kong Corporation (CMHKC), which has been acquired by HKTV, to lease six hilltop transmission stations with effect from July, with no new agreement in place.
The move left a question mark over HKTV's ability to transmit its mobile television service.
Six out of seven of the city's hilltop transmission stations were being rented by CMHKC from TVB, and one by ATV.
HKTV, which has had its application for a free-to-air television licence rejected by the government, put forward a plan to launch mobile television services in July. It will allow the public to watch the station's programmes on mobile phones or other devices connected to the internet.
But the Communications Authority told the that the transmission stations "may well be" bottleneck facilities that HKTV would need to rely on in order to provide mobile television services.
"If it could be established that such facilities are bottleneck facilities, and if there is evidence that TVB is denying HKTV access to such facilities or is demanding unreasonable terms and conditions before access is granted, with possible adverse competition impact on the telecommunications market, such conduct may engage sections 7K and 7L of the Telecommunications Ordinance," a spokesman said.
