Summary of Cross-Media Ownership Rules

CASBAA is joining with media and telecom companies in Hong Kong to recommend a series of changes in the HK SAR’s Broadcasting Ordinance and Telecom Ordinance. In keeping with the global trend toward lightening restrictions on licensed TV (as competition with unregulated internet-based OTT and pirate offerings becomes ever more intense), the Hong Kong group is recommending that the government relax some of the current outdated restrictions on advertising, content regulation, and cross-media ownership (among other things).

The full recommendations will be released soon; in the meantime here for information is a background survey on cross-media ownership prepared by CASBAA. CASBAA’s view of the overall issues with unbalanced regulation of licensed television and unlicensed OTT is contained in our publication “A Tilted Playing Field,” which can be accessed here.