Television in Hong Kong is better than I expected it to be, but still there is rarely anything on worth watching. We have five HBO channels, 5 discovery channels, 5 BBC Channels. We have CNN International and Bloomberg. We watch a lot of Al Jazeera (not a terrorist mouthpiece after all; but a balanced news station with really good documentaries and investigative reporting). There are a plethora of finance-related networks (in case you don’t feel there’s enough information out there about the world financial crisis, it is front and center, 24-7).
What we lack are ‘shows’. There are stations that you can subscribe to that show shows – FX shows all crime shows and The Hallmark Channel shows Oprah around the clock as far as I can tell, but we do not have those. We can watch shows like Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, or Lost on pay-per-view, but that isn’t the same as flipping through channels to see what’s on.
The whole linear concept of flipping through channels is sort of non-existent here. Vast wastelands of channels with no assignation are interspersed with the few channels you have subscribed to and channels on which 30 seconds of programming is cut off by an invitation to subscribe to view further. And then of course, there are the Chinese Language channels (to skip past in my case).
In order to select what you want to watch, you must visit a menu page (also not linear; channels are displayed in groups according to genres – Movies, News Channels/Documentary, Sports, Entertainment and Leisure). There are some really quirky channels: the Panda Channel – a live feed from Ocean Park, Hong Kong’s water park/zoo; the traffic channel (watch the traffic driving through Aberdeen Tunnel!); and the Flight Arrivals and Departures Channel, a helpful channel on an island with access to one airport and a population that travels quite a bit. There is also a channel that gives [really] local restaurant recommendations and a channel where you can upload a picture of your pet and send him or her a card (available samples included, ‘I promise to love you forever!’ and ‘I promise to take care of you and feed you!’).
It took me a couple of months to pinpoint the disconnect that I feel when watching TV here. Finally M pointed out what should have been obvious; TV in Hong Kong does not have commercials. There are promos for upcoming programs on a given channel and a few general commercials for the rare network sponsor, but there is nothing of the constant barrage of products, services, fast-food, casual dining, music, theme parks, movie trailers, toys, credit services, etc. Watching TV in Hong Kong is like watching TV on an airplane; it feels like pre-packaged media, bundled and sold to satellite markets, which is exactly what it is.
To my horror (I am not a TV person!), since moving to Hong Kong, I have really noticed a widening mental divide between me and ‘what is happening in the world’ ie what the American public is told on a daily basis to care about. I no longer have any idea what movies are coming out. There is no little bear in my head telling me which toilet paper to buy, no unconscious pull toward a specific brand in the grocery store, no girl in the short skirt kicking her tan legs and reminding me that I am not a size 2. I am strangely unmoored from consumer culture and it feels great.
There is nothing worse than spending a night watching unsatisfying TV. We have made a Chinese New Year’s resolution to spend less time hoping in vain that Hong Kong TV will satisfy and pick up our books instead.
Wonderful post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Go books!