Hong Kong to ease broadcaster ad rules amid digital competition
Commerce minister Algernon Yau tells the South China Morning Post that authorities plan to relax restrictions on indirect advertising.
Quick Look
Hong Kong plans to relax indirect advertising restrictions for broadcasters to help them compete with online and streaming media, according to Commerce and Economic Development Secretary Algernon Yau Ying-wah.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Broadcast operators requested a code review to improve business conditions against streaming rivals.
Hong Kong authorities plan to relax restrictions on indirect advertising for broadcasters amid fierce competition from online and streaming media, the commerce minister has told the South China Morning Post.
In a wide-ranging exclusive interview, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah said many broadcast operators had requested to review the Generic Codes of Practice for Television to improve the business environment, and the government had responded.
“They’re saying that the competition from other media is very strong, and it’s very difficult for them to survive, and then we have to be up market and then match the practice internationally,” Yau said on Thursday.
In the annual policy address released last month, the government pledged to review the code to ensure that regulations keep pace with the times and that diversified, quality programmes were broadcast, expanding the reach of the ‘Hong Kong Brand’ in the Asia-Pacific region.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Government will review and update the Generic Codes of Practice for Television
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- When will the revised advertising code be implemented?
- What specific indirect advertising types will be permitted?
