Customers of i-Cable Communications, which operates one of Hong Kong’s two pay-TV networks, have expressed concerns about their subscriptions after its broadcasting arm surrendered its licence early.
Subscribers complained through the social media accounts of i-Cable, which runs Hong Kong Cable Television, broadband internet services and a mobile phone network. They said they were worried about the validity of their broadband services, which were bundled with their television subscriptions.
The Executive Council, a key decision-making body in the city, on Tuesday granted the 30-year-old broadcaster permission to cease operations of its pay-TV services on June 1, after its request in September last year.
Hong Kong’s pay-TV operator Cable TV gives up licence as financial woes mount
Chan Mei-kuen, a Cable TV customer for more than 20 years, said she had no idea if she could cancel the broadband service, which she never used, after her television subscription lapsed in June. Her new contract began on Wednesday, lasting until 2025.
The 65-year-old retiree said she could not reach Cable TV’s hotline despite calling for over an hour on Tuesday evening and eventually contacted a lawmaker for help on Wednesday.
“If I had known [the TV service would end in June], I wouldn’t have agreed to start a new contract six months after my previous contract began,” Chan said. “I feel a bit scammed.”
Chan said she only chose the integrated subscription plan for its expansive access to various channels and had never made use of the iCable’s internet service.
Having renewed her two-year contract last July, she was persuaded to switch to a new one last month after staff promoted another subscription plan that would be cheaper and provide more content.
“They should let clients choose whether to continue their plan, instead of continuing their services by default,” Chan said.
She was not the only subscriber worried about having to pay for redundant services. Nearly 30 users had echoed her concerns on the Facebook page of Cable+, the broadcaster’s telecoms arm, since Tuesday.
Most expressed frustration over the company’s decision to carry their broadband subscriptions forward, while some complained they were not warned about Cable TV’s coming exit when renewing contracts last month.
The broadcaster said on its website non-television services would be unaffected in combo contracts.
Those wishing to terminate their contracts, which would expire on or before Cable TV’s last day of operation on May 31, need to submit an application 30 days before the contract expiry date. Customers with contracts that outlast the pay-TV service will see their television subscriptions lapse as the service ends.
However, on its dedicated webpage for inquiries since Tuesday’s announcement, the firm did not explain how users could terminate parts of the contract which would continue after the pay-TV service ended.
The Post has contacted iCable for comment.
Cable TV, which is controlled by New World Development chairman Henry Cheng Kar-shun, said its paid channels had 683,000 subscribers in June last year.
Its three free-to-air channels, which provide English-language news and entertainment, cover 99 per cent of the city’s households. After the termination of Cable TV’s paid services, PCCW’s Now TV will be the remaining service provider.
i-Cable secures exclusive broadcast rights to 2023 Asian Games
Lawmaker Frankie Ngan Man-yu, who handled Chan’s call for help, told the Post that the broadcaster’s frontline staff could not be blamed for promoting new subscription packages, as they might not have been aware of the impending change.
However, Ngan said the broadcaster should discuss the way ahead with subscribers on bundled contracts, rather than continuing non-broadcast services by default.
Consumer Council chief executive Gilly Wong Fung-han said the watchdog had not received any complaints about Cable TV subscriptions and only two inquiries from residents who were not sure what Tuesday’s announcement would mean.
She advised customers to familiarise themselves with details in their contracts in preparation for refund and cancellation arrangements.
According to a brief for the Legislative Council on the licence termination, the Communications Authority had asked Cable TV to provide “acceptable exit arrangements” for subscribers and provide fortnightly reports on the progress.
Commerce minister Algernon Yau Ying-wa described Cable TV’s move as a clear-cut “commercial decision” after the operator’s CEO said business losses were too much to bear. He also brushed off concerns over insufficient competition in the broadcasting sector.
“It is all according to the market requirement, and for the time being there is still a pay-TV programme available on the market,” Yau said at a media stand-up.
The Hong Kong Journalists’ Association said it hoped the company would take measures to avoid lay-offs or pay cuts among newsroom staff as its business was restructured.
Cable TV CEO Stephen Wong See-yuen described competition in the paid media market as “intense” and that running a pay-TV platform was difficult.
“As there are more options now, it has become more difficult for operators in general,” Wong told a radio programme.
He admitted the station had suffered from the loss of lucrative football broadcasting contracts, which he said had been the company’s edge over competitors.
Cable TV ending Hong Kong pay-TV service casts shadow over sector future: analysts
“Purchasing broadcast rights to football matches is expensive, and without that it is inevitable that the number of viewers will drop. But viewers have kept their subscriptions for our news broadcast. Our news broadcast brand has a lot of supporters and we will bring our quality content to viewers on our free-to-air channel,” Wong said.
He emphasised that the company had no lay-off plans and would hire additional staff for content production, as there was still demand for locally produced programmes.
“We think it’s still the same formula – produce good content that the audience wants to watch, then maximise its exposure. A free television platform is a way for us to amplify our coverage as wide as possible. We will need to work on our online platform as well,” he said.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51ku6bD0mifqKaXYriwusZon6iml2K4sLrGZpycp56kurp7wKuropucmnx0fpBpaXBwX5i5pq3RpbBmm5%2Biuqa%2BwqKYpWWUmrCqv8iopWagn6O0brfOp55mm5%2Biuqa%2Bwp5knKCZmrNuv8errKCrXZiuo7jEZquvq12axarAjKmYsmWkq3qurdGknK1lk6S7pLHRp6o%3D