Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a

television broadcasting A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid- ...

company based in

Hong Kong SAR Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. The Company operates five free-to-air

terrestrial television Terrestrial television or over-the-air television (OTA) is a type of television broadcasting in which the signal transmission occurs via radio waves from the terrestrial (Earth-based) transmitter of a TV station to a TV receiver having an ante ...

channels in Hong Kong, with

TVB Jade TVB Jade (), or simply Jade, is a Hong Kong Cantonese-language free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) as its flagship service, alongside its sister network, the English-language TVB Pearl. Br ...

as its main

Cantonese language Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...

service, and

TVB Pearl TVB Pearl is a terrestrial television channel in Hong Kong owned by Television Broadcasts Limited. Established on 19 November 1967, it shares headquarters with TVB's other properties at TVB City at 77 Chun Choi Street in Tseung Kwan O Industr ...

as its main

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

service. TVB is headquartered at

TVB City TVB City (), is the headquarters of Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties located at 77 Chun Choi Street in the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate, Tseung Kwan O, Kowloon. The HK$2.2 billion facility officiall ...

at the

Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate (, branded as ) is located in the southeast of the Tseung Kwan O New Town, Sai Kung District in Hong Kong. Location Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate has an area of 75 ha (other sources mention 86 haRun Run Shaw Sir Run Run Shaw (19 November 1907 – 7 January 2014), also known as Shao Yifu and Siu Yat-fu, was a Hong Kong entertainment mogul and philanthropist. He was one of the most influential figures in the Asian entertainment industry. He founde ...

, who was Chairman from 1980 to 2011, together with

Sir Douglas Clague Sir Douglas Clague (13 June 1917 – 11 March 1981) was a British Hong Kong soldier and entrepreneur who spent most of his life in Hong Kong. Early Years Born in South Rhodesia, in 1917, Clague arrived in Hong Kong in 1940 as a lieutenant in ...

and Harold Lee Hsiao-wo of the

Lee Hysan Lee Hysan or Lee Hy-san (1879 – 30 April 1928) was a Hong Kong businessman who was involved in the opium trade and refinery, as well as land development in British Hong Kong during the early 1900s. He was nicknamed the ''Opium King'' in Hong ...

family. When TVB first began broadcasting it was commonly known and promoted as "Wireless Television" () in Chinese to distinguish it from the then cable television broadcaster,

Rediffusion Television Rediffusion Television (RTV) was the first television station in Hong Kong, making it both the first British colony and the first predominantly ethnically Chinese city to have television.Kitley, Philip. 003(2003). Television, Regulation and ...

(), which later became ATV (). It is still usually referred to with that name, although ATV later switched to "wireless" (free-to-air) broadcasting as well. TVB is known primarily for its

dramas Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been c ...

, and produces the

Miss Hong Kong The Miss Hong Kong Pageant (), or Miss HK () for short, is an annual beauty pageant organised by local Hong Kong television station, TVB. The pageant was established in 1946, and acquired by TVB in 1973. The current Miss Hong Kong is Denice La ...

and

Miss Chinese International Miss Chinese International Pageant (, formerly 國際華裔小姐競選), or MCI () for short, is an annual international beauty pageant, organized and broadcast by TVB, a network television station in Hong Kong. It was established in 1988 and t ...

pageants. It has historically been the leading television broadcaster in Hong Kong.

History

Origins

The government set up a working party in the early 1960s to study the idea of setting up a second television station in Hong Kong, where the only television at that time was the wired, subscription-supported

. There was debate as to whether the second station should be set up as a Crown corporation, like the BBC; a purely commercial enterprise; or a combination of the two. Another challenge lay in procuring enough content for the new station. In 1962, Director of Information Services J.L. Murray stated that while English programming could be purchased from other countries, "no country is producing a mass of suitable pre-recorded material in Chinese". Even though Hong Kong was already regarded as a centre for film production, it was considered a challenge to source enough Chinese-language content for another television station, as most of it would need to be produced in Hong Kong. Regardless, there was commercial interest in the concept. A government franchise for a new wireless (free-to-air) television station was opened for tenders on 6 February 1965 and closed on 6 August 1965. On 25 January 1966 it was announced that Television Broadcasts Limited had won the franchise.

Opening

The new Television Broadcasts Limited station on Broadcast Drive in Kowloon Tong, Kowloon was officially opened by Governor

David Trench Sir David Clive Crosbie Trench (; 2 June 1915 – 4 December 1988) was a British Army officer and colonial governor. Early life Trench was educated at Tonbridge School, Tonbridge, Kent and graduated from Jesus College, Cambridge with the degre ...

on 19 November 1967. The governor spoke of the potential for television to better society, stating that the new station would play a significant role in "helping and enlighting our people", calling television "one of the most potent means of disseminating information there is". The first images shown on the station were a live transmission of the

Macau Grand Prix The Macau Grand Prix ( pt, Grande Prémio de Macau; ) is a motorsport road race for automobiles and motorcycles held annually in Macau. It is the only street circuit racing event in which both cars and motorcycles participate, and one of onl ...

, which began broadcasting at 9:00 am that day and was interrupted by footage of the opening of the new station. The first colour broadcast was then made, a feature called "London Calling Hongkong" which constituted greetings from former governors

Alexander Grantham Sir Alexander William George Herder Grantham, GCMG (; 15 March 1899 – 4 October 1978) was a British colonial administrator who governed Hong Kong and Fiji. Early life, colonial administration career Grantham was born on 15 March 1899 ...

and Robert Black. Following this was a piano recital by Chiu Yee-ha, who had also performed at the opening of the

Hong Kong City Hall Hong Kong City Hall () is a building located at Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Since Hong Kong is a " Special Administrative Region" and not a normal Chinese city, there is no mayor or city council; therefore, the ...

. The new station broadcast both Cantonese-language and English-language channels. The Cantonese channel, called TVB Jade, began regular service on 4:30 pm that day on Channel 21, while the English service (TVB Pearl) began at 6:00 pm on Channel 25. The inaugural programming lineup included ''

Enjoy Yourself Tonight ''Enjoy Yourself Tonight'' or ''EYT'' is a popular variety show that was produced in British Hong Kong. It first aired on TVB Jade on 20 November 1967. The show lasted 27 years with its last broadcast on Friday, 7 October 1994.Chinanews.com.cn ...

'', a Chinese language variety show, and ''Meet The Press'', an English current affairs programme.

Infrastructure development

Hong Kong's mountainous topography posed a challenge to TVB, which was Hong Kong's first television station broadcast wirelessly, using a terrestrial television transmitter instead of a complex coaxial cable network. A network of transmitters, built atop various mountains, helped provide coverage to the territory. The main transmitter was built at Temple Hill, above Kowloon, to reach most of the main populated centre of Hong Kong as well as parts of the New Territories. Two

broadcast relay station A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater ( two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tr ...

s were came into operation on 15 May 1968: one at

Lamma Island Lamma Island, also known as Y Island or Pok Liu Chau or simply Pok Liu, is the third largest island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Islands District. Name Lamma Island was named Lamma only because of a chart reading error by ...

expanded coverage to Pok Fu Lam, Aberdeen, Repulse Bay, and parts of Stanley, while another at Castle Peak covered Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, and Ping Shan. A third booster station, located on

Cloudy Hill Cloudy Hill or Kau Lung Hang Shan (Chinese: 九龍坑山) is a 440m high hill in Tai Po District of northeastern Hong Kong. It is located within Pat Sin Leng Country Park. The source of the Ma Wat River is located on Cloudy Hill. Some parts of the ...

, was activated in June 1968 and brought TVB reception to Fanling, Taipo, and Sheung Shui.

Development

* TVB receives praise for its programming from a wide range of demographics, including the middle class, as was the case with its 2004 historical drama series '' War and Beauty''. Its programme line-up features a steady stream of soap operas, variety shows and other populist fare. * TVB has been criticised for signing exclusive contracts with many local celebrities which restrict them from appearing on other local television stations. Hong Kong's Cable T.V. claims it is unfair competition (although

Asia Television Asia Television Limited (, also known as ATV) is a digital media and broadcasting company in Hong Kong. Established as the first television service in Hong Kong as Rediffusion Television () on 29 May 1957, it shifted to terrestrial television ...

, another major television station in Hong Kong, disagrees). In fact, many artists do not have exclusive contracts with TVB and are free to show up in programmes produced by other local television stations or out-sourcing production houses. * The annual TVB Music Awards ceremony is one of the biggest for

Cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") or HK-pop (short for "Hong Kong pop music") is a genre of pop music written in standard Chinese and sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production ...

personalities. It is widely rumoured that TVB distributes the awards to those who are obedient to the company's demands, and the Independent Commission Against Corruption has investigated the arrangement of the awards. It ruled that three TVB staff members under scrutiny were not guilty. Afterwards, TVB reformed its music programmes in a bid to reestablish their authority. * On the other hand, TVB was awarded the

National Association of Broadcasters The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a trade association and lobby group representing the interests of commercial and non-commercial over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States. The NAB represents more than ...

's (NAB) International Broadcasting Excellence Award in 2001. The award recognised the company's outstanding contributions to the community through a wide range of charitable programmes and activities. Hong Kong thus becomes the first city in Asia to receive this prestigious award in this area. * In 2005, TVB, in association with the

Hong Kong Jockey Club The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) is one of the oldest institutions in Hong Kong, having been founded in 1884. In 1959, it was granted a Royal Charter and renamed The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (). The institution reverted to its original name ...

, organised the biggest fund-raising campaign in the company's history in response to South-East Asia's devastating tsunami. It raised over one hundred million

Hong Kong Dollar The Hong Kong dollar (, sign: HK$; code: HKD) is the official currency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is subdivided into 100 cents or 1000 mils. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is the monetary authority of Hong Kong ...

s to assist those affected. * In 2000, TVB Australia was established for the Australian market with a 17 channel (14 Chinese and 3 Vietnamese Channel) satellite service. Which has over 25,000 households and over 1,500 commercial outlets with an audience of over 130,000 daily. * From 31 March 2008, TVBS-Europe launched their "Multi-channel" package in Europe. It consists of 5 different channels which include the existing TVBS-Europe Channel plus the addition of TVBN, TVB Entertainment News, TVB Classic and TVB Lifestyle.

Location

TVB was originally located on Broadcast Drive in

Kowloon Tong Kowloon Tong () is an area of Hong Kong located in Kowloon. The majority of the area is in the Kowloon City District. Its exaclocationis south of the Lion Rock, north of Boundary Street, east of the East Rail line and west of Grampian Road. It ...

, and was neighbours with

RTHK Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is the public broadcasting service in Hong Kong. GOW, the predecessor to RTHK, was established in 1928 as the first broadcasting service in Hong Kong. As a government department under the Commerce and Econo ...

and ATV. By the late 1980s, the company had out-grown the facility at Broadcast Drive, and built a new studio complex, named T.V. City, at 220 Clear Water Bay Road in November 1988. The first TVB City was in fact the old Shaw Movie Town complex used by

Shaw Brothers Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shang ...

since 1958. The old Broadcast Drive headquarters was later converted into apartments. The first TVB City is now used by

Celestial Pictures Celestial Pictures is a diversified entertainment company focusing on Asian-language film and television content including production, aggregation, distribution and the operation of TV channels. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the company owns th ...

. To cope with future development and expansion, TVB began planning in 1998 to develop a replacement facility at the

Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate (, branded as ) is located in the southeast of the Tseung Kwan O New Town, Sai Kung District in Hong Kong. Location Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate has an area of 75 ha (other sources mention 86 haTVB City TVB City (), is the headquarters of Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties located at 77 Chun Choi Street in the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate, Tseung Kwan O, Kowloon. The HK$2.2 billion facility officiall ...

, which can seat an audience of six hundred and thirty, is the largest television production studio among commercial television stations in Asia.

News operation

TVB broadcasts several news programmes, such as News at 6:30 (Jade) and News at 7:30 (Pearl). It also operates its own news channel, TVBN. () and TVBN2 (), through TVB Network Vision ().

Notable shows from TVB

* ''

'' or EYT (1967–1994), a long-running variety show which has been compared with the American ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

''. * ''

The Bund The Bund or Waitan (, Shanghainese romanization: ''Nga3thae1'', , ) is a waterfront area and a protected historical district in central Shanghai. The area centers on a section of Zhongshan Road (East Zhongshan Road No.1) within the former S ...

'' (1980), starring

Chow Yun-fat Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in the five Hong Kong action heroic bloodshed films: '' A Better Tomorrow'', '' A ...

. The drama was a success throughout Asia, inspiring several television and film adaptations. * ''

The Legend of the Condor Heroes ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' is a wuxia novel by Chinese writer Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It is the first part of the '' Condor Trilogy'' and is followed by '' The Return of the Condor Heroes'' and '' The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber''. I ...

'' (1983), a serial adaptation of

Louis Cha Louis Cha Leung-yung (; 10 March 1924 – 30 October 2018), better known by his pen name Jin Yong (), pronounced "Gum Yoong" in Cantonese, was a Chinese wuxia ("martial arts and chivalry") novelist and essayist who co-founded the Hong Kong dail ...

wuxia ( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted ...

novel of the same name, starring

Felix Wong Felix Wong Yat-wah (born September 4, 1961) is a Hong Kong actor and singer best known for his performances in many ''wuxia'' television series produced by TVB, such as '' The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' (1983), in which he played the protagoni ...

and

Barbara Yung Barbara Yung Mei-ling (, 7 May 1959 – 14 May 1985) was a Hong Kong famous actress during the early 1980s. Yung died of suicide by gas inhalation at the age of 26, during the peak of her career.Her most popular acting role was Huang Rong in Th ...

. * ''

The Return of the Condor Heroes ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'', also called ''The Giant Eagle and Its Companion'', is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It is the second part of the '' Condor Trilogy'' and was preceded by '' The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' and foll ...

'' (1983), sequel to ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'', is a serial adaptation of Louis Cha's wuxia novel of the same name, starring

Andy Lau Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...

and

Idy Chan Idy Chan Yuk Lin (born 25 March 1960) is a popular Hong Kong TV actress, especially during the 1980s and was named as one of the Five Beauties of TVB. Career She joined showbiz in 1977. She is most famous for her portrayal of three of the char ...

. * ''

Looking Back in Anger ''Looking Back in Anger'' () was a 1989 Hong Kong TV series and one of the most watched TVB series by Chinese people in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and around the world. Many factors contributed to the success of this series. As well as its tra ...

'' (1989), is a tragic serial drama starring

, Deric Wan, and

Carina Lau Carina Lau Kar-ling (, born 8 December 1966) is a Hong Kong-Canadian actress and singer. She started her acting career in TVB, before going on to achieve success in films after 2nd year at the college. She was notable in the 1980s for her girl-ne ...

. It is the most-watched Hong Kong drama in the

Greater China Greater China is an informal geographical area that shares commercial and cultural ties with the Han Chinese people. The notion of "Greater China" refers to the area that usually encompasses Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan in East ...

region. * ''

The Greed of Man ''The Greed of Man'' is a Hong Kong television series first broadcast on TVB Jade in 1992.Dianying.com.Dianying.com" ''The Greed of Man.'' Retrieved on 2009-08-11. The story, spanning three decades from the 1970s to the 1990s in Hong Kong and Ta ...

'' (1992), starring

Adam Cheng Adam Cheng Siu-chow (born 24 February 1947) is a Hong Kong TVB actor and Cantopop singer. Career Cheng started his career in the 1970s, where he gained a reputation for playing the lead roles in TVB ''Wuxia'' drama series based on the works ...

and

Sean Lau Sean Lau Ching-wan (born 16 February 1964) is a Hong Kong actor who has acted in both films and television series. He won Best Actor in the 2007 and 2015 Hong Kong Film Awards and in the 2000 and 2007 Golden Bauhinia Awards. Career Lau was born ...

. Its original broadcast heavily impacted international stockbrokers, creating the phenomenon known as the

Ting Hai effect The Ting Hai effect, also known as the Adam Cheng effect, is a stock market phenomenon in which there is a sudden and unexplained drop in the stock market whenever a film or a television series starring Hong Kong actor Adam Cheng is released.Big5 ...

. * The '' File of Justice series'' (1992–1997) was a popular legal drama series, spanning five seasons. It is regarded by some as the Hong Kong version of the American ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

''. * ''

A Kindred Spirit A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes' ...

'' (1995–1999), the second longest-running drama series in Hong Kong television history. * ''

Super Trio Series The ''Super Trio Series'' is a Hong Kong variety show series produced by TVB. It debuted in 1995, and remained in production for eighteen years due to its popularity. The show was hosted by Eric Tsang and his two assistants - Jerry Lamb and Chin ...

'' (1995–2014), a popular variety game show. * ''

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popul ...

'' (1996) was one of the few

programmes to be dubbed in English and rebroadcast on

. * ''

Old Time Buddy ''Old Time Buddy'' () is a 1997 Hong Kong period comedy television drama created and produced by TVB. The Chinese title translates to "brothers in hardship." ''Old Time Buddy'' is set primarily in the 1960s and tells the story of two struggling ...

'' (1997), a comedy-drama that satires Hong Kong's filming industry in the 1960s. It was the first drama to win "Best Drama" at the inaugural

TVB Anniversary Awards The TVB Anniversary Awards (), officially known as the TVB Awards Presentation, is an annual awards ceremony honoring TVB's programming achievements in Hong Kong television; despite claims that it is the region's equivalent to the American E ...

. * ''

Secret of the Heart ''Secret of the Heart'' is a 1998 Hong Kong television drama produced by TVB that was first aired from 16 February to 10 May 1998. The drama had a powerful roster cast that is made up of Felix Wong, Gallen Lo, Sunny Chan, Nick Cheung, Amy Kwok, ...

'' (1998), a soap opera that popularised relationship triangles in serial dramas. * The ''

Armed Reaction Armed Reaction () is a 1998 Hong Kong modern cop drama produced by TVB. The drama stars Bobby Au-yeung and Esther Kwan as the main leads with Joyce Tang, Marco Ngai, Mimi Chu and Joe Ma in main supporting roles. Original broadcast of the serie ...

'' series (1998–2004) was a popular crime drama series dealing with discrimination women face within the police force. The series spanned five seasons with the latest Armed Reaction 2021. * The '' Healing Hands series'' (1998–2005) was a popular medical drama series known for its remarkable medical accuracy. It is commonly known as Hong Kong's version of America's '' ER''. The first season yielded "Best Drama" award in 1998. * ''

At the Threshold of an Era ''At the Threshold of an Era'' () was a Hong Kong epic drama series broadcast by TVB Jade Channel from 11 October to 18 December 1999 and 13 March to 26 May 2000 and was extensively promoted by TVB as its cross-millennium, one-hundred-episode-long ...

'' (1999–2000) is an epic drama featuring a large ensemble cast. It is TVB's second most expensive drama to date. * '' War of the Genders'' (2000), a sitcom starring

Carol Cheng Carol Cheng Yu Ling ( Traditional Chinese: 鄭裕玲; born 9 September 1957), is a Hong Kong film/television actress and host. Arguably one of the most famous celebrities to have emerged during the British colonial period, Cheng made her break ...

and

Dayo Wong Dayo Wong Tze-wah (born 5 September 1960) is a Hong Kong comedian, actor and singer. Known as a pioneer of stand-up comedy in Hong Kong, he is known for his stadium shows integrating political satire and social commentary. He has performed a ...

, is considered by many as TVB's most critically acclaimed sitcom. It held the title as TVB's highest-rated drama (49 points) until the broadcast of Korea's ''

Jewel in the Palace ''Dae Jang Geum'' (; literally "The Great Jang-geum"), also known as ''Jewel in the Palace'', is a 2003 South Korean historical drama television series directed by Lee Byung-hoon. It first aired on MBC from September 15, 2003 to March 23, 20 ...

'' in 2005. Cheng won "Best Actress" for her role. * ''

Virtues of Harmony {{Infobox television , image = Virtues of Harmony.jpg , caption = Official poster , alt_name = , genre = Historical period sitcom , creator = Tsui Yu-on , developer ...

'' (2001–2005) is one of the longest running sitcoms in Hong Kong, yielding two seasons – a historical costume series with a modern-day spin-off. * ''

Square Pegs ''Square Pegs'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1982–1983 season. The series follows Patty Greene (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Lauren Hutchinson ( Amy Linker), two awkward teenage girls desperate to fit in at Weemawee High S ...

'' (2003), a drama serial starring

Roger Kwok Roger Kwok Chun-on is a Hong Kong television actor and former singer, who works for the TV station TVB. Kwok was born in Hong Kong, and his native family roots are in Zhongshan, Guangdong. He is one of the three actors who won Best Actor three t ...

, depicts the life of a mentally-retarded young man. It received an average viewership rating of 37 points, the highest in TVB's broadcast history. Kwok also won "Best Actor" for his role. A second series was released in 2005, yielding Kwok his second "Best Actor" award. * ''

Triumph in the Skies ''Triumph in the Skies'' is a Hong Kong drama television series that premiered on TVB in 2003, starring Francis Ng, Flora Chan, Joe Ma and Myolie Wu. The drama tells the lives of pilots working for the fictional Solar Airways based on Ho ...

'' (2003) and ''

Triumph in the Skies II ''Triumph in the Skies II'' () is a 2013 television drama produced by TVB under executive producer Tommy Leung. It is a direct sequel to TVB's 2003 blockbuster television drama ''Triumph in the Skies''. It stars Francis Ng, Julian Cheung, Myolie ...

'' (2013), a drama series revolving around the staff and pilots working for Solar Airways, a fictional version of

Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (CPA), more widely known as Cathay Pacific (), is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and subsidiaries have ...

. ''Triumph in the Skies'' was also adapted into a motion picture. * '' War and Beauty'' (2004), a costume drama serial that focuses on four concubines of the Jiaqing Emperor. The series popularised historical palace harem dramas. * '' Moonlight Resonance'' (2008), the sister production of ''

Heart of Greed ''Heart of Greed'' (Traditional Chinese: 溏心風暴) was a 2007 grand production drama from Hong Kong's TVB. Main actors involved in this production are Moses Chan, Linda Chung, Louise Lee, Ha Yu, Michelle Yim and Susanna Kwan. The seri ...

'' (2007). The drama peaked to 50 points, one of the highest in Hong Kong television history. * '' EU'' (2009), the third season of '' The Academy'' series.

Michael Tse Michael Tse Tin-wah (born 15 July 1967) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. Background Michael Tse graduated from TVB's Dance Training Class and worked with TVB as a dancer for five years. He then left TVB and formed a boy band group called 風� ...

's character, Laughing Gor, inspired one film spin-off and one sequel television series. * ''

Rosy Business ''Rosy Business'' () is a 2009 Hong Kong period television drama produced by Lee Tim-sing and TVB. Comprising 25 episodes, it originally aired on the Jade network from 27 April to 29 May 2009. Set in Eastern China during the mid-19th century ...

'' (2009), award-winning costume drama, swept the 2009 TVB Anniversary Awards in almost all major categories. * ''

Beyond the Realm of Conscience ''Beyond the Realm of Conscience'' is a 2009 Hong Kong television series. Produced by Mui Siu-ching, the serial is one of two TVB productions to celebrate along with the channel's 42nd anniversary, the other being '' Born Rich''. The drama ai ...

'' (2009), a costume period drama that peaked to 50 points, one of the highest in Hong Kong television history. * '' When Heaven Burns'' (2011), "Best Drama" winner at the 2012 TVB Anniversary Awards. Despite its critical acclaim, it is one of the lowest-rated series in television history. The last few episodes were also banned in Mainland China due to references of the

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...

. * '' Line Walker'' (2014), a crime drama that spawned teo film sequel and a television series prequel Line Walker: The Prelude (2017) and sequel Line Walker: Bull Fight (2020). It is the most-viewed Hong Kong drama in Mainland China, with over 2 billion views on

Youku Youku Tudou Inc. (formerly Youku Inc.), doing business as Youku (), is a video hosting service based in Beijing, China. It operates as a subsidiary of Alibaba Group Holding Limited. Youku has its headquarters in the Sinosteel Plaza in Haid ...

. It has also created a 2 episode game show called '' Line Walker Hunting Game'' (2017). * ''

A Fist Within Four Walls ''A Fist Within Four Walls'' () is a 2016 Hong Kong martial arts action television drama produced by Jazz Boon and TVB. It premiered on TVB Jade in Hong Kong, Astro On Demand in Malaysia and TVB First in Singapore on 1 August 2016. The final ep ...

'' (2016), a martial arts drama set in Kowloon Walled City that won Best TVB Drama at all the award presentations, with many of the cast from A Fist Within Four Walls winning awards. It swept the TVB 2016 Award Presentation with 5 awards: My Favourite TVB Female Character, My Favourite TVB Male Character, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Drama Series. * '' Come Home Love: Lo and Behold'' (2017), another long running TV series that revolves around a middle-class family and an affluent family. Due to the sensational ratings, at the beginning of 2020, the drama is decided to be aired every day at 20:00 to 20:30. * ''

Legal Mavericks ''Legal Mavericks'' (; literally “Crossing the Line") is a Legal, Crime, Detective television drama created by Lam Chi-wah and TVB. It began principal photography in October 2016. It aired concurrently on TVB Jade, and iQiyi. The second s ...

'' (2017) Swept TVB Starhub Awards 2017

Corruption probe

On 11 March 2010, the general manager

Stephen Chan Chi Wan Stephen Chan Chi-wan (born 12 December 1958) is the Chief Advisor of Commercial Radio Hong Kong and a YouTube pundit. Chan was previously the chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Hong Kong and general manager of Television Broadcasts Limi ...

and four others were arrested on corruption charges by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). TVB confirmed that three of their employees were involved, and that their duties and work had been suspended pending further development. Stephen Chan Chi Wan was charged with corruption in September 2010 with TVB declining to comment on the situation. Stephen Chan and his co-accused were acquitted by a court in September 2011.

Controversy and criticism

Since the 2000 June 4 rally, TVB has been increasingly criticised for its pro-China bias. Netizens of

HKGolden The HKGolden (Hong Kong Golden Forum; ) is an Internet forum for topics related to computer hardware and software among Internet users in Hong Kong in the early 2000s. HKGolden has become an Internet community. The forum is a part of HKGolden.co ...

and

LIHKG LIHKG ( zh, t=連登, cy=Lìhn dāng) is a multi-category forum website based in Hong Kong. The website has gained popularity since the launch in 2016, and is often referred to as the Hong Kong version of Reddit. Threads with more up-votes and ...

have called it "CCTVB", as a reference to China's state-controlled broadcaster

CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly ...

. During the

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

and 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, TVB's programmes, most especially its news reports were accused of providing biased coverage of the protests, with a pro-China slant. As a result of public boycotts, numerous brands officially pulled out of advertising contracts with TVB, including Pocari Sweat and

Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and desse ...

Decline

On 29 June 2018, the

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...

quoted insider information that TVBI and the Broadcast Operation Department had laid off 100 people for two consecutive days. By July, a cutdown by 30 in the sports department was announced, leaving only 5 people. The long-established show "Sports World" aired its final episode on 7 July 2018. myTV SUPER sports channel will end on 15 August. By July, the "Hong Kong Animation Information Network" Facebook page stated that the dubbing group of about 70 people had been cut to 4, and there would be large-scale layoffs. Netizens expressed anger at this. TVB's General Manager Shin Keong Cheong said he did not renew his contract and denied the layoffs. By August, in the interim results of TV broadcasting, the print version of TVB Weekly had been suspended and switched to an online version. The TVB8 and TVB Galaxy websites serving overseas ceased service in September 2018. MyTV Super's TVB Sports Channel and live news station had also stopped broadcasting with the TVB Travel Channel. It is reported that TVB will lay off 800 people. On 5 October, the same year, TVB announced the reduction of about 150 employees from TVB Weekly, the Production Coordination Department, the Arts Division and non-drama productions, which took effect on the same day. The layoffs included at least one producer and two directors of "Pleasure & Leisure". In December 2019, Pro-government broadsheet

Sing Tao Daily The ''Sing Tao Daily'' () (also known as ''Sing Tao Jih Pao'') is Hong Kong's oldest and second-largest Chinese language newspaper. It is owned by Sing Tao News Corporation, of which Kwok Ying-shing () is chairman. Its English language sister p ...

reported that TVB's current chairman, Charles Chan, is about to withdraw from his shares and intends to resign as chairman to leave TV Broadcasting Co., Ltd. On 16 December, Chief Executive Mark Lee issued an internal notice stating that about 350 employees would be cut, accounting for about 10% of the company's remaining employees. Following this, on 20 December, more than 50 behind-the-scenes staff members were fired, most of them from the variety show and the information, cultural and educational departments. On 20 January 2020, Charles Chan finally resigned as the chairman of the TVB board and as a non-executive director, and will sell all television broadcasting shares.

Channel list

Hong Kong Free-to-air

TVB Finance, Sports & Information Channel TVB Finance, Sports & Information Channel (formerly TVB Finance Channel and TVB Finance & Information Channel, ) is a 24-hour non-stop Cantonese finance information channel based in Hong Kong and operated by TVB. The channel provides financial, ...

* TVB J2 *

TVB News Channel TVB News Channel (previously TVB iNews) is a 24-hour non-stop Cantonese news and information channel based in Hong Kong and Asia, utilizing the resources of TVB News TVB News (), formally known as the News and Information Division (), is the ...

MyTV SUPER

TVB Network Vision ceased its service since 1 June 2017,https://www.tvbnetworkvision.com/tc/ and the OTT platform named MyTV SUPER (expanded from MyTV and GOTV) replace TVB Network Vision to provide the paid television service. In addition, the company name of "TVB Network Vision" became "

Big Big Channel Big Big Channel is an online video platform operated by TVB, officially launched in July 2017. It was formerly TVB Network Vision (previously TVB Pay Vision) and was a satellite pay-television platform. The company was renamed Big Big Channel Limit ...

". * Asian Select * Asian Variety * Chinese Drama * Chinese Opera Channel * Classic Movies * Entertainment News * Food * Jade Catch Up * Japanese Drama * Korean Drama * Sports * TVB Classic * TVB Radio * TVBN 2 * Travel

International

* Asian Action Channel * Hub Cantonese on Demand (Co-owned with

Starhub StarHub Limited, most commonly known as just Starhub, is a Singaporean multinational telecommunications conglomerate and one of the major telcos operating in the country. Founded in 1998, it is listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX). History ...

; Singapore only) * Hub Drama First (

, Singapore only) *

Fairchild TV Fairchild TV or FTV is a Canadian Cantonese language exempt specialty channel."Waging a war over a large, wealthy, educated audience ; Fairchild TV and CFMT are battling it out to deliver the news to Canada's Chinese community". ''Toronto Star'' ...

''(20% ownership; co-owned with

Fairchild Group The Fairchild Group ( zh, t=新時代集團, s=新时代集团, p=Xīnshídài Jítuán, j=San1si4doi6 Zaap6tyun4, first=t) is a Canadian business conglomerate, with headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Fairchild Group operates ...

)'' *

Jadeworld (USA) Jadeworld is a programming package operated by TVB (USA) Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the largest distributor of Chinese-language television programs – TVB Group, Hong Kong based. TVB USA is headquartered in Los Angeles, with other oper ...

* TVB Chinese Opera Channel (International version) * TVB Entertainment News (International version) *

(International version) *

TVB Korea Channel TVB Korea Channel (TVBK, zh, TVB Korea頻道, ko, TVB 코리아) is a joint television channel of Central Multi-broadband (CMB) of South Korea and Hong Kong's Television Broadcasts (International) Limited (TVBI). The channel is broadcast in K ...

(International version) *

(International version) * TVB Vietnam (Vietnam only, owned by SCTV9) * TVB Xing He (Asia & Thailand version only) * TVB-Europe * TVB Jade Southeast Asia (Malaysia & Singapore) *

Hub VV Drama Hub VV Drama (formerly known as VarietyVision, officially launched on 1 April 1992 and officially dissolved on 31 May 1995) is a cable television StarHub TV on Channel 855. Its programming consists solely of drama series from Hong Kong, People's R ...

(

, Singapore only; Selected TVB Drama in Mandarin dubbed)

Malaysia

Co-owned with

Astro Astro may refer to: Entertainment and media * Astro (South Korean band), a South Korean boy band * Astro (UB40) (1957–2021), member of the British reggae band UB40 * Astro (Chilean band), a Chilean indie rock band * Astro (Japanese band), ...

: * Asian Action Channel * Astro AOD HD * Astro Wah Lai Toi On Demand * TVB Golden Jade Southeast Asia * TVB Jade Southeast Asia * TVB Xing He * TVBS-Asia *

TVBS News TVBS News or (TVBS-N) is a Taiwanese pay television channel. Launched in 1995, it is the first 24-hour nationwide news channel in the country. Newscasts Current news sections are named as follows. (All time HKT) * Morning News (Weekdays: 09:00 ...

Thailand

* TVB Drama Thai Channel (V2H8)

References

External links

*
YouTube -TVB (official)
*
Hong Kong's TV and Film Publication Database
a full collection of "TV Week", the official TVB magazines published between 1967 and 1997. Developed by HKBU Library {{Authority control Talent agencies of Hong Kong Mass media companies established in 1967 1967 establishments in Hong Kong Companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Former companies in the Hang Seng Index Television censorship in China

History

Origins

Opening

Infrastructure development

Development

Location

News operation

Notable shows from TVB

Corruption probe

Controversy and criticism

Decline

Channel list

Hong Kong Free-to-air

MyTV SUPER

International

Malaysia

Thailand

See also

References

External links