Asia Television gets reboot with new content production arm AMM, and dreams of rivalling Netflix, Viu TV and TVB
- Bizhan Tong, new executive producer at ATV, is bursting with content ideas as he turns the former terrestrial TV station into a studio making movies and dramas
- The former banker and fan of Asian cinema says losing its broadcasting licence has liberated ATV to think beyond Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s digital media landscape has shifted much since Asia Television Limited (ATV) disappeared from the airwaves on April 1, 2016. Bizhan Tong, a new executive producer at the station, is embracing these changes.
Its shows and content are distributed through ATV’s own app and via OTT services (over-the-top, meaning directly streaming online, bypassing cable, broadcast and satellite platforms). Tong wants to reshape ATV as a studio of sorts, producing content for different streams depending on markets and partners.
“The key thing is we’re going to target different segments. You can’t do one-size-fits-all any more and I have no interest in doing that,” he explains. “We’ll have projects targeted towards the youth; some shows will be for middle-class housewives.
“Can we wrest local viewers away from TVB serials? It will be a challenge. But can we hopefully do something else that engages their attention? Absolutely.”
