The following is issued on behalf of the Communications Authority:
This press release summarises the decision of the Communications Authority (CA) following its 136th meeting held in July 2024.
Relaxation of requirement related to insertion of news updates in television programmes
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The CA decided to relax the requirement related to the display of non-programme material (Note 1) within programmes on domestic free television programme services (free TV) and domestic pay television programme services (pay TV) so that individual licensees may, having regard to their production and scheduling needs, decide whether or not to insert news updates in their programmes.
In June 2024, the CA received an application from Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) for a waiver to enable it to display news headlines (Note 2), in the form of superimposed text, for specified types of programmes (including current affairs programmes, documentaries, informative and infotainment programmes) on the Phoenix Hong Kong Channel. The CA notes that with the proliferation of instant information and increasing demand for such information, viewers should have been accustomed to the display of news headlines in the aforesaid types of programmes and that their viewing pleasure would not be affected. In view of the above, the CA approved TVB's application on the condition that the superimposition of news headlines would not affect the viewing pleasure of the viewers. The waiver is valid until further notice. The relaxation is also applicable to TVB's other programme channels as well as the other two free TV licensees (i.e. HK Television Entertainment Company Limited and i-CABLE HOY Limited) and the pay TV licensee (i.e. PCCW Media Limited) for the broadcast of the aforesaid types of programmes.
Note 1: Paragraph 1 of Chapter 8 of the Generic Code of Practice on Television Advertising Standards stipulates that unless otherwise permitted by the CA, non-programme material may be placed only at the beginning or end of a programme or in a natural break occurring therein. For the purpose of this code, "non-programme material" includes news headlines in the form of superimposed text within a programme (except news programme).
Note 2: The CA has previously approved TVB's application for a temporary waiver for the Phoenix Hong Kong Channel to display news headlines for specified types of programmes (including current affairs programmes, documentaries and informative programmes). The waiver is valid for a period of three months from April 22 to July 21, 2024.
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