Raymond Lam (林峯), who released two new songs over the past three months, is currently preparing for his fifth Hong Kong Coliseum concert tour, which runs for three days starting April 29, 2016. Although his plugs have topped radio and download charts all over Hong Kong, the songs failed to impact TVB’s music charts. In fact, Raymond’s promotions received nearly zero coverage from TVB’s news, leading to the rumor that he has been blacklisted. The 36-year-old singer and actor debuted as a TVB actor in 1999 and pursued a successful acting and singing career under TVB’s management. Fifteen years later in 2014, Raymond decided to end his contract with TVB, and signed with his record label, EEG. Raymond insisted that it was an amicable split. A few days ago, a Hong Kong gossip magazine reported that TVB had put Raymond in their blacklist, refusing to report anything related to the “Heart Attack” singer. The report claimed that Raymond’s relationship with TVB turned sour when the network refused to give him the TV King award. Raymond was said to be “very adamant” about not renewing his TVB contract, reportedly turning down TVB’s many requests for negotiation. The magazine then went on to say that Raymond, realizing his mistake, decided to sign with EEG, who has a good relationship with TVB. EEG executive Ng Yu (吳雨), however, reportedly failed to come with an agreement with the network, and Raymond’s existence in TVB was wiped out. TVB refused to report any activities on Raymond’s promotions, declining to interview him as well. Yesterday, reporters phoned Ng Yu to ask him if the rumors were true. Ng Yu said, “This is all old news,” and denied the blacklisting rumors. But when asked if Raymond would be getting airtime on TVB soon, Ng Yu said, “He has to line up. TVB has many things to report. They have things they like to talk about more than others, but I honestly don’t know what they like.” The executive continued to deny bad blood between the two parties and said, “[TVB] is generous. We’ve had great collaborations before and we are always open for another collaboration again. Always.” But even if the rumor is true, Raymond may not be blacklisted for long. According to a report, TVB has an unwritten rule where former managed artists are not to appear in any TVB program for the two years following his or her departure. The reason for this is to guarantee the interests of current TVB artists. In regards to these reports, TVB executive Tsang Sing-ming (曾醒明) said in a phone interview, “TVB is in a friendly relationship with EEG and its artists. Raymond Lam is a very popular artist, and TVB will broadcast Raymond Lam when the time is right.” Creds: Oncc
That unwritten rule will mean no more series with previous contractors for 2 years. Myolie, Tavia, etc
After being stuck with TVB for years, I doubt they'd want to return that quickly after they have left.
