Television Broadcasts Limited (00511, listed on the main board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited), commonly known as TVB, was established on 19 November 1967 and is the first wireless commercial television station in Hong Kong. With its headquarters in Hong Kong, TVB provides round-the-clock entertainment channels and news service to over 7 million Hong Kong viewers, and operates an international licensing and distribution business. Many of the programmes produced in Cantonese are dubbed into Mandarin and other languages, and are distributed worldwide, including Asia (covering Mainland China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore), Australia, North and South America, and Europe, accessible to over 300 million households. Today, TVB has over 4,600 staff and artistes worldwide.
Major activities of TVB include television broadcasting (through free-to-air television channels), programme production, programme licensing and distribution, digital media business, and publications. TVB is one of the few broadcasters in the world which operates a vertically integrated business model, encompassing production, broadcasting and distribution. Over the years, TVB has developed a production pipeline which generates an annual output of over 650 hours of dramas and over 17,000 hours of news, variety, travelogue, and information/entertainment programmes. Besides operating a free-to-air television business, TVB also invests in TVB Network Vision, a Hong Kong pay TV operator.
TVB operates five digital television channels, providing free and diversified television information/entertainment to over 2.37 million homes in Hong Kong round-the-clock. Its flagship channels, Jade (in Chinese) and Pearl (in English), transmit over 17,000 programme hours every year.
As part of a strategy to digitise TVB channels, TVB launched in December 2007 a 24-hour high definition channel, HD Jade, providing diverse and brand new audio/visual entertainment to viewers. Soon after, two other digital channels were introduced, they are: J2, which targets the younger generation by broadcasting self-produced programmes and acquired hot dramas in and around Asia; iNews, which serves as the only 24-hour free news channel in Hong Kong.
TVB`s terrestrial TV channels capture an overall 81% audience share against all TV channels in Hong Kong during weekday primetime.
www.tvb.com - 1693 - Television Broadcasts Limited
