For a long period before the opening of the television market in 2013, there were only two domestic free-television broadcasters in Hong Kong: TVB and ATV. TVB has long been dominant in free-television services. The introduction of three pay-television broadcasters did not break this near-monopoly. However, on April 2016, ATV finally ceased its 58 years of broadcasting with a reputation for poor production quality (Cheung, 2016).
In 2013, to open the market, the Hong Kong government granted two additional free-to-air television licences to HK Television Entertainment – (a subsidiary of PCCW) and i-Cable’s fantastic TV, the dominant pay-television companies. However, this too had little impact on TVB’s dominance (Chan et al., 2019). The rejection of HKTV for a free-to-air television licence also roused suspicion regarding political suppression (Cheung, 2016).
Two commercial broadcasters (Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Company Limited and Metro Broadcast Corporation Limited) provide thirteen local radio channels and one public service broadcaster (RTHK). Five of these channels have secured 80 per cent of the radio audience (Cheung, 2016).
In contrast to broadcasting, the Hong Kong newspaper market is highly competitive. Serving a population of seven million are around 15 well-known paid daily newspapers and free newspapers in Hong Kong. An intensely competitive newspaper market is supposed to lead to a more liberal, democratic, and diversified media environment; however, the media do not always work in accordance with commercial logic. Many newspapers are under the control of a small number of businessmen with vested interests in mainland China. These media outlets share similar political and economic constraints, and have formed a part of a political united front (Chan & Lee, 2007). According to the HKJA, 26 mainstream media outlets are closely related to Chinese interests, being either under Chinese control or having stakes in mainland China. Over 85 per cent of media owners or top newsroom managers have been incorporated in various ways into the Chinese or Hong Kong establishments (HKJA, 2017; see also Indicator F6 – Company rules against external influence on newsroom/editorial staff).
The concern over media ownership concentration and Chinese control has grown continuously, as more Chinese money has been invested in Hong Kong media. Two significant television broadcasters, TVB and i-Cable, recently came into the ownership of individuals or companies with close connections to mainland China. The pay-television provider i-Cable almost went bankrupt in 2017, but received an injection of funds from a group of investors, resulting in mainland Chinese investment making up 35 per cent of its ownership. There has also been a report suggesting that the buyer of TVB is a mainland Chinese tycoon, although the transfer took place through cross-holdings and partnerships.
However, certain pro-democracy news media outlets continue to remain, and these help to push the boundaries of political discourse (Lee, 2018). Digital media has also opened a door to break the media ownership concentration of businessmen with close mainland China connections. As stated above, a large majority of the Hong Kong population consumes news online (including through social media), and over 40 per cent said that online media is their main source of news. Legacy media represents just one of the many forms of media content providers, anddigital media provides an opportunity for the emergence of alternative small-scale media outlets. There are more than twelve major digital news media outlets in Hong Kong, mostly supported by private investors or crowdfunding. Although online alternative media face various limitations, such as lack of resources, they somehow continue to sustain a resistance to central government control (Luqiu, 2017).
Alongside the Chinese language and local news media outlets, many international news media organisations have also been set up in Hong Kong. For example, the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, and The New York Times are all available in the Hong Kong market (HKSAR, 2019).
