The Broadcasting Authority will conduct an opinion poll for the mid-term review of television licences for Asia Television (ATV) and Television Broadcasts (TVB) in the new year.

The authority will then review the licensees' performance and make recommendations to the Chief Executive in Council for the mid-term review. It will also collect public views through other channels, such as its website, focus group meetings and a public forum.

It has issued written invitations to the licensees to make submissions on corporate competence; financial, technical and programming capabilities; and, a six-year investment plan covering the second half of the validity period of the licences between 2010 and 2015.

It will assess the performance of the licensees against various statutory requirements, licence conditions, and codes of practice, before submitting its recommendations.

200 complaints issued

The Commissioner for Television & Entertainment Licensing dealt with 124 cases, involving 217 complaints, in November.

Three cases involving three complaints were classified as minor breaches, and 92 cases involving 183 complaints were unsubstantiated.

The remaining 29 cases involving 31 complaints were outside the ambit of the Broadcasting Authority Ordinance.