Cable channel, i-Cable, which held the broadcasting rights holder of the London 2012 Olympics in Hong Kong, reached an agreement with ATV to broadcast the games earlier last month. However, TVB rejected i-Cable’s offer, claiming it as “harsh and unreasonable.” Inviting over 100 famous TVB artists to guest on the show, TVB decided to produce new variety show Fun Three ½ Weeks <玩轉三周1/2>, to compete with the Olympics! TVB Deputy Director of External Affairs, Tsang Sing Min (曾醒明), confirmed that Fun Three ½ Weeks will premiere on Monday, July 23rd and will air everyday for 17 days. TVB Director of Variety Production, Sandy Yu (余詠珊), is the show’s executive producer. Tsang Sing Ming compared the show’s cast to Teddy Chan’s (陳德森) star-studded action film, Bodyguard and Assassins <十月圍城>, and plan to mobilize over 100 artists to guest star in the show. Hosted by Evergreen Mak (麥長青), Carlo Ng (吳家樂), and Angela Tong (湯盈盈), Fun Three ½ Weeks began filming two nights ago. The hosts and guest stars all appeared in the studio with period clothing and played games that were similar to those in Battle of the Senses <五覺大戰>. Asked if her boyfriend Chin Kar Lok (錢嘉樂), the host of Battle of the Senses, gave her any tips in hosting, Angela said, “I let him look through the game show procedures. I have Evergreen and Carlo taking care of me, so I don’t need him.” When asked about TVB’s “war” with the Olympics, Myolie Wu (胡杏兒) said, “Really? I don’t know the details, but I heard that I will partner with Kevin Cheng (鄭嘉穎) in some of the games. The company is always at war. Competition brings in improvement. It’s important to provide the audience with enough diversity to choose from.” Myolie also said that it was unfortunate that TVB was unable to obtain the Olympics broadcasting rights because not everyone has access to cable channels. Michael Tse (謝天華) revealed that he did not get any notice from the company yet. He did not feel that TVB was at war. He said, “Even if it was not the Olympics, TVB always had plans for new variety shows to air in the summer. It’s good to occasionally have big productions to attract larger audiences.” Currently filming for her new drama, Blissful Ferris Wheel <幸福摩天輪>, Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣) admitted that she received notice to guest star in Fun Three ½ Weeks. When asked about the show’s competition with the Olympics, she said, “I’ve never heard about it. I’m working every day, so I have no time to read about what’s happening in the world. I did receive a filming notice, but I have no idea what I would be doing.” Prompted that TVB will allegedly mobilize over 100 artists to guest on the show, Linda said, “Really? It’s good to have new programs for the audience to watch.” Creds: ihktv
Sometimes, you cant really compete with Olympics at all. Its like putting up a new variety show competing for the World Cup(don't know who have the rights to broadcast). No matter how hard you try, you wont pull some audiences.
