Ordinary Gweilo

Now TV is getting a good kicking in the SCMP from readers who are not at all happy that Australia TV is becoming a subscription channel (after previously being free).  PCCW weasels (for it is them) issued a statement saying that this was done after consultation with Australia TV, but it appears to be the type of consultation where one party tells the other what they are going to do, listens politely to objections – and then carries on regardless.

It has been pointed out that the channel is “free” on Cable TV, but what that really means is that you have to subscribe to the Cable TV service to get a selection of channels, whereas PCCW charge for individual channels, with no minimum. 

PCCW is apparently charging HK$12 per month for doing nothing (well, OK, they need a satellite dish and they use their marvellous high-speed network to send it to your Now decoder box).  Well, why not?  Viewers who don’t have Cable TV are probably unlikely to switch just to avoid paying a few dollars a month, and it’s hard to imagine that anyone at PCCW cares about upsetting their customers.