Hong Kong-based i-CABLE Communications Limited and Guangdong CableTV Network Co. Ltd have announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement, at the “The Joint Establishment of Smart Television Broadcast Pilot Zone in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area) and the Launch of 4K Digital Family Products Press Conference”, under which the two companies will foster collaborations in the areas of resource utilization, business development, technology and programme production. Riding on their respective strengths to complement each other and enhance competitiveness, the two companies will jointly tap the Mainland and Hong Kong markets and form a sustainable strategic partnership.
Guangdong Cable Network is the cable television operator in Guangdong province. Its major business includes television broadcasting and broadband services. With a strong broadband network and a huge user base, it has over 14 million households of users and nearly 3.5 million households of broadband subscribers. An integrated, influential media platform with rich broadcasting platform resources and an extensive reach, Guangdong Cable Network is committed to developing multi-media content products and providing users with spectacular audiovisual and broadband services.
i-CABLE owns a large telecommunications and cable television network in Hong Kong with a coverage of over 95%. It employs a number of new technologies, solutions and measures to provide customers with high-quality and reliable television, telecommunications, internet, and multi-media services. The Group’s subsidiary Hong Kong Cable Television Limited (“CABLE TV”), which has been broadcasting since 1993, is the first pay television operator in Hong Kong. Serving over 2 million households, CABLE TV is also the largest pay television operator in Hong Kong. It currently owns approximately 20 local channels spanning entertainment, news, sports, etc., as well as over 70 international top-tier channels.
Ms Irene Leung Shuk-yee, Chief Operating Officer of i-CABLE Communications Limited, said: “CABLE TV has been actively developing different channels to broadcast its high-quality programmes in recent years, allowing our audience in Hong Kong to watch them on its multi-media platform in addition to on television. The strategic partnership with Guangdong Cable Network marks an important milestone for the Group’s development in the Mainland market. The two companies will enhancetheir exchanges in television services and leverage Guangdong Cable Network’s operational resources, which will enable the high-quality information content of CABLE TV to reach over 14 million users in the Greater Bay Area in near future, with content focusing on financial information in the Greater Bay Area to appeal to information-savvy audiences in Hong Kong and Guangdong. Furthermore, the collaboration will help pave way for a super information network in the Greater Bay Area, as well as increase the reach and influence of Hong Kong programmes across the Guangdong.”
Ms Ye Zhi Rong, Chairman of Guangdong CableTV Network Co. Ltd, said: “This strategic partnership will effectively promote cultural exchange between Guangdong and Hong Kong. The two companies will collaborate in the cultural and creative areas. This will enable them to capture opportunities and strengthen the cultural blend of the two regions through television programmes exchange to establish a cultural circle in the Greater Bay Area. In addition, the smart infrastructure such as smart television broadcast of Guangdong cloud platform, smart media integrated network and smart home gateway, effectively enhances the level of technology for television and public cultural services. This will enable smart television broadcast to become a part of the beautiful lives of the people in the Greater Bay Area, nurturing the cultural development of the area.”