Victory for Hong Kong media maverick Ricky Wong in mobile TV battle
Watchdog reverses course and says his company can upgrade to same higher-resolution service used for programmes on free TV
Media maverick Ricky Wong Wai-kay’s battle to secure a free-to-air TV licence received a boost on Thursday when the telecommuncations watchdog approved his long-running application to upgrade the resolution of his mobile TV service.
The Communications Authority’s announcement reversed a High Court ruling of two years ago, in which the judge rejected a judicial review brought by Hong Kong Television Network (HKTV) and Hong Kong Mobile Television Network (HKMTV) – both chaired by Wong – against the regulator.
After being denied a TV licence in 2013, Wong was accused of trying to use his mobile service as free TV in disguise by upgrading to the same advanced transmission standard, called digital terrestrial multimedia broadcast, used by other free-to-air broadcasters.
The judge said companies would need to apply for a television licence if their mobile station could reach more than 5,000 households.
Under the new ruling, HKMTV would be able to upgrade to the digital format that would allow viewers to watch high-resolution videos. The current platform only supports VCD quality. The new transmission standard will be applied to its services within 12 months.
