The Broadcasting Authority has approved the Codes of Practice Committee's recommendations to revise the Generic Code of Practice on Television Programme Standards, the Generic Code of Practice on Television Advertising Standards, and the Radio Code of Practice on Advertising Standards.

The revisions will allow advertising of certain nicotine replacement therapy products at specific hours. They will also relax the requirement for identification of repeat children's programmes on domestic free television programme services to cover only those repeats shown within a week since their last broadcast; relax the announcements of programme changes in the form of superimposed text within programmes; and, relax in-programme promotions on domestic free and pay television services.

The authority approved TVB Pay Vision's application to include in its non-domestic television programme service a channel receivable by the public in Hong Kong as well as other places in the Asia Pacific region. The channel will be a general entertainment channel in Putonghua.

It also approved the application by Golden News Enterprises for an "other licensable television programme service licence" for the provision of television services in hotel rooms. The period of validity of the license is 12 years from November 15. There are now 26 licensees of the same kind providing services to 80 Hong Kong hotels.

The authority notes the Commissioner for Television & Entertainment Licensing dealt with 120 cases involving 316 complaints in October, of which eight were classified as minor breaches and 85 involving 204 complaints were unsubstantiated. Twenty-seven cases involving 104 complaints were held outside the ambit of the Broadcasting Authority Ordinance.