TV gold? When Hong Kong’s TVB and ATV battled for broadcast rights of the 1988 Seoul Olympics

“Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is seeking a High Court injunction order to share the telecasting rights of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games with Asia Television Limited (ATV)”, reported the South China Morning Post on August 9, 1988. “TVB contended that it would be in the public interest to have both television stations showing the Olympic Games because it could allow for a wider audience for different programs at different time slots.

“Opposing the application, however, ATV claims any injunction would impose on it undue hardship and affect the rights of the Seoul Olympic Organising Committee (SLOOC), advertisers and the agent through which it acquired the rights, Telesports Limited.”

On August 16, the Post reported that ATV had “acted in a ‘clandestine, underhand and dishonourable’ manner to acquire the exclusive rights to broadcast the Olympic Games, a judge said yesterday.

“Mr Justice Jones ordered that ATV must share the broadcast rights to the games with [TVB] and ATV would have to seek permission from the [SLOOC] to share the games. If the permission is not forthcoming then ‘the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games will unfortunately not be able to be shown in Hongkong’ […] The ‘complete secrecy of unilateral negotiations with SLOOC by ATV and Telesports was aimed at TVB’ […] said Mr Justice Jones. ‘ATV’s actions were not only dishonourable but also unreasonable’, he said.”

On August 25, the Post reported that “Olympic chiefs in Switzerland have agreed to a $7.8 million deal with Hongkong television stations over screening of the Seoul Games next month.

“A Seoul Olympic TV rights official said: ‘ATV and TVB are going to televise the Games together in Hongkong which will be helpful to the people of the territory’ […] There is no reason to object as they are willing to promote the Olympics and Korea as a whole’.”