"Television Broadcasts Limited | AboutHK.Com - more information about HK"

Television Broadcasts Limited (SEHK: 0511), commonly known as TVB, was the first over-the-air commercial television station in Hong Kong. Founded on November 19 1967 with a staff of about 200, it is now one of two free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong, the other being its arch-rival in business, ATV. TVB is the first free-to-air (FTA) television broadcaster in Hong Kong. When TVB first began broadcasting, to distinguish it from the only cable television broadcaster, Rediffusion Television, it was commonly known as "Wireless Television" (無線電視) in Chinese. Although there is more than one wireless television station now (the other is Asia Television, the succeeder of Rediffusion Television), TVB is still known as "Wireless Television" today. TVB is now the largest commercial Chinese program producer in the world, with a staff of about 3,500, including about 500 contract artists and staff in overseas subsidiary companies. The company"s current chairman is Sir Run Run Shaw. It owns two free-to-air channels in Hong Kong, namely TVB Jade (Cantonese) and TVB Pearl (English and foreign languages). TVB Jade enjoys the largest audience share in Hong Kong, and is often referred to simply as TVB. TVB is also involved in Hong Kong"s pay-TV market, providing twelve channels for its associated company, TVB Pay Vision Limited. TVB have also decided to launch a free-to-air HDTV channel in 2007 Q3, offering general entertainment programing with more than 14 hours of high definition programs per day. TVB reaches out to the overseas Chinese communities. Its productions are available in Mainland China, Taiwan, Macau, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, among others, on channels such as TVB"s own TVBS-Europe[1] subscription satellite service. Its dramas are internationally acclaimed, and many of Hong Kong"s top film and pop stars started their careers at TVB. Special TVB events such as the annual TVB Anniversary Celebration are broadcast to worldwide audience. TVB also runs talent programmes such as the annual Miss Hong Kong and Miss Chinese International beauty pageants. Successful contestants may be offered TVB"s contracts and represent Hong Kong to take part at world-class beauty contests, including the Miss World Pageant. Development TVB enjoys overwhelming dominance of the television market in Hong Kong. TVB receives praise for its programming from a wide range of demographics (other than housewives), including the middle class, as was the case with its 2004 historical drama series War and Beauty. But its programmes are criticised by some television viewers as being in poor taste, superficial, undemanding, and lacking in creativity. Its programme lineup features a steady stream of soap operas, variety shows and other populist fare. Documentaries and news programming featuring serious analysis are few and far between. TVB has also been criticised for signing exclusive contracts with many local celebrities which restrict them from appearing on other local television stations. Hong Kong"s Cable TV claims it is unfair competition (although Asia Television Ltd, 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 personalities. It is widely rumoured that TVB hands out the awards to those who are obedient to the company"s demands, and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Hong Kong) has investigated the arrangement of the awards. It ruled that three TVB staff members under scrutiny were not guilty. Afterwards, TVB reformed its music programs to re-establish their authority. On the other hand, TVB was awarded the National Association of Broadcasters"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 programs 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, organised the biggest fundraising campaign in the company"s history in response to South-East Asia"s tsunami disaster. It raised over 100 million Hong Kong dollars to assist the people affected. Location TVB was originally located on Broadcast Drive in Kowloon Tong, and was neighbours with RTHK and ATV. By the late 1980s, the company had outgrown the facility at Broadcast Drive, and built a new studio complex, named TV City, at Clearwater Bay in Sai Kung. To cope with future development and expansion, TVB began planning in 1998 to develop a replacement facility at the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate. The new HK$2.2 billion TVB City came into full operation in October 2003. The new headquarters are built on by far the largest piece of land ever leased by the then Hong Kong Industrial Estates Corporation and the first service-providing company in the area. It has a building area of over 110,000 square metres, 30% more than that of the previous facilities at Clearwater Bay. Studio 1 in TVB City, which can seat an audience of 630, 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 (無綫新聞台) and TVBN2 (無綫新聞二台), through TVB Pay Vision (無綫收費電視). Notable shows from TVB Main article: List of TVB Programmes TVB is a major television-producer in Hong Kong, and its programmes usually receive higher ratings than offerings from the other local television stations. * A Kindred Spirit 真情 was a television drama series that was broadcast on TVB Jade in Hong Kong from May 15, 1995 to November 11, 1999. It is one of the longest running drama show in Hong Kong television history (the longest being the sitcom Hong Kong 81 series). Its exceptional longevity still amazes people in a city where scripted TV drama programs typically only last around 20 episodes, with the show running daily. The total number of episodes is 1,128. * The Legend of the Condor Heroes 射雕英雄傳 (starring the famous on screen couple portrayed by Felix Wong Yat Wah and his co-star Barbara Yung Mei Ling) * Return of the Condor Heroes 神雕侠侣 (a highly successful sequel to the first Condor series, starring Andy Lau and Idy Chan) * The Bund 上海灘 (a classic series of the 1980s, starring a young Chow Yun-Fat, regarded by many as one of the best TVB series.) * Looking Back in Anger 義不容情 (a classic, it had enormous ratings and was one of the most rented TVB series ever. It is also remembered for its tragic ending.) * The Greed of Man 大時代 (one of the most controversial and culturally important shows in the early 1990s. Also remarkable for its effect on the stock market) * Detective Investigation Files 刑事偵輯檔案 (3 season, 1 spin off season, 4 series in total) * Healing Hands 妙手仁心 (remembered for its remarkable medical accuracy. It is similar to the United States series ER) * At the Threshold of an Era 創世紀 (two series in total) * Armed Reaction 陀槍師姐 (four series in total) * Journey to the West 西遊記 (one of the few TVB Jade programmes to be dubbed in English and rebroadcast on TVB Pearl) * War of the Genders 男親女愛 (a long-running comedy series, starring Dayo Wong Tze-Wah and Carol Cheng Yu-Ling, which final episode scored the highest ratings in Hong Kong history) * Virtues of Harmony 皆大歡喜 (one of the longest running sitcoms in Hong Kong, a historical costume series with a modern-day spin-off) * Square Pegs 戇夫成龍 * Life Made Simple 阿旺新傳 (a Spin off from Square Pegs but this time it set in Modern time 2005) * To Catch the Uncatchable 棟篤神探 (remembered for its groundbreaking sad ending in a comedy, in contrast to other usual shows of TVB (for example, Happy Harmony) * Gods of Honour 封神榜 (a popular drama about the the life and trials of nezha before being God, and battle of two sides against an evil concubine who titled herself as the King.) * War of In-Laws 我的野蠻奶奶 (The 2005 Best Series Award winner) * La Femme Desperado 女人唔易做 (a series deals with the social issues in today"s society & 2006 Best Series winner) For a full list of TVB Dramas, see TVB Dramas Notable people Management and behind the scenes * Sir Run Run Shaw (邵逸夫) * Gu Gaa-fai (顧嘉輝) * Stephen Chan Chi Wan (陳志雲) * Wong Jim (James Wong, 黃霑) (deceased on 2004) Actors ( Past and present ) * Bobby Au-Yeung (歐陽震華) * Benny Chan Ho Man(陳浩民) * Moses Chan (陳豪) * Kenneth Chan (陳啟泰) * Sammul Chan (陳鍵鋒) * Sunny Chan (陳錦鴻) * Adam Cheng (鄭少秋) * Ekin Cheng (鄭伊健) * Kevin Cheng (鄭嘉穎) * Dicky Cheung (張衛健) * Julian Cheung (張智霖) * Chow Yun-Fat (周潤發) * Stephen Chow (周星馳) * Patrick Dunn (鄧梓峰) * Leo Ku (古巨基) * Louis Koo (古天樂) * Roger Kwok (郭晉安) * Lok Yi Lai(黎諾懿) * Bowie Lam (林保怡) * Frankie Lam (林文龍) * Raymond Lam (林峰) * Kwong Wa (江華) * Andy Lau (劉德華) * Hacken Lee (李克勤) * Tony Leung Chiu Wai (梁朝偉) * Gallen Lo (羅嘉良) * Ray Lui (呂良偉) * Joe Ma (馬德鐘) * Francis Ng (吳鎮宇) * Lawrence Ng (吳啟華) * Ron Ng (吳卓羲) * Marco Ngai (魏駿傑) * Charles Szeto (司徒瑞祈) * Patrick Tam (譚耀文) * Michael Tao (陶大宇) * Kenneth Tsang (曾江) * Kent Tong (湯鎮業) * Michael Tse (謝天華) * Patrick Tse (謝賢) * Eric Tsang (曾志偉) * Bosco Wong (黃宗澤) * Dayo Wong (黃子華) * Felix Wong (黃日華) * Deric Wan (溫兆倫) * Fung Woo (胡楓) Actresses ( Past and present ) * Flora Chan (陳慧珊) * Fala Chen (陳法拉) * Gigi Lai (黎姿) * Idy Chan　(陳玉蓮) * Nadia Chan (陳松伶) * Sharon Chan (陳敏之) * Stephanie Che * Joyce Chen * Yoyo Chen (陳自瑤) * Dodo Cheng (鄭裕玲) * Maggie Cheung Man Yuk (張曼玉) * Maggie Cheung Ho Yee (張可頤) * Angie Chiu (趙雅芝) * Bondy Chiu * Mandy Cho (曹敏莉) * Ada Choi (蔡少芬) * Niki Chow (周麗淇) * Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣) * Jessica Hester Hsuan(宣萱) * Kenix Kwok (郭可盈) * Sonija Kwok (郭羨妮) * Gigi Lai (黎姿) * Yvonne Lam * Devily Leung (梁麗瑩) * Leanne Li (李亞男) * Selena Li (李詩韻) * Charmaine Li (李思欣) * Bernice Liu (廖碧兒) * Annie Man (文頌嫻) * Cutie Mui * Yoyo Mung (蒙嘉慧) * Melissa Ng (吳美珩) * Charmaine Sheh (佘詩曼) * Lydia Shum (沈殿霞) * Winnie Shum (沈穎婷) * Nancy Sit (薛家燕) * Maggie Siu (邵美琪) * Sheren Tang (鄧萃雯) * Angela Tong (湯盈盈) * Leila Tong (唐寧) * Kate Tsui (徐子珊) * Liza Wang (汪明荃) * Monica Chan * Natalie Wong (黃紀瑩) * Myolie Wu (胡杏兒) * Nancy Wu (胡定欣) * Michelle Ye (葉璇) * Kingdom Yuen * Angie Cheung * Tavia Yeung (楊怡) * Shirley Yeung (楊思琦) * Vivien Yeo (楊秀惠) * Joyce Tang (滕丽名) * Barbara Yung (翁美玲) Comments Please login to post comments or replies.