Codes of Practice

The Authority regularly reviews its Codes of Practice and modifies and repeals those that are considered outdated. During the year, the Authority approved the following amendments to the Codes.

Accuracy Requirement in Programmes

The scope of accuracy requirement was extended to cover four more types of factual programmes on television and radio, viz. financial programmes, children's programmes with educational purpose, programmes dealing with medical and health issues and contests. Previously, licensees were required to make reasonable efforts to ensure that the factual contents of news, current affairs programmes, personal view programmes, documentaries and programmes adopting an investigative style of reporting are accurate. Taking into account the rising public concern on accuracy of factual contents, the Authority considered that the four additional types of factual programmes set out above should also be subject to the accuracy requirement.

Impartiality Requirement in Programmes

The Authority noted the growing popularity of mixed genre programmes, e.g. magazine type programmes with certain segments focusing on matters of public policy and controversial issues of public importance in Hong Kong. The Authority therefore decided to extend the requirement to cover segments of factual programmes. Previously, the requirement to ensure due impartiality in factual programmes applied on programme basis.

Relaxation of Restrictions on Minimum Programme Segment Duration

The 10-minute minimum duration requirement for any segment within a programme on domestic free television programme services was lifted for all television programmes other than dramas and feature films of which the minimum segment duration was relaxed to 7 minutes. The revisions were made to provide the licensees with more flexibility in presentation and production of programmes, while safeguarding the audience's pleasure in viewing dramas and feature films which depends much on programme continuity.

Consequential Amendments to Provisions on Advertising of Horse Race Betting

The Betting Duty Ordinance (Cap. 108) was amended in 2006 to permit the broadcast of advertisement for authorised horse race betting on television and radio services. To reflect the above legislative amendment, the relevant provisions in the Codes governing television and radio advertising were amended to allow such advertising on television and radio, subject to the same conditions and time restrictions for advertisements for Mark Six Lotteries and football betting already authorised under the Betting Duty Ordinance. The restrictions include, among others, that no such advertisements should be broadcast between 4:00pm and 8:30pm each day on the domestic free television programme services and radio services or at times when television or radio programmes targeting young persons under the age of 18 are broadcast, that such advertisements could only target the adult audience and should not unduly exhort the public to bet or mislead one's likelihood of winning.

Removal of an Obsolete Requirement on Product Placement

Following the relaxation for allowing sponsorship of products/services featured in television drama programmes in June 2003, the Authority required the domestic free television programme service licensees to submit a report on the use of product/service sponsorship in their drama programmes and the public's response at the end of six months after the promulgation of the related provisions, i.e., by December 2003, in order to monitor the possible impact of the new sponsorship format on viewers. Having accepted the reports submitted by the licensees and considered that the licensees were generally in compliance with the relevant requirements and that viewers had generally accepted the sponsorship formats, the Authority decided to remove the said requirement from the relevant provision.