Lawmakers support govt's Olympic rights purchase

Two lawmakers on Tuesday welcomed the government's decision to purchase the broadcasting rights for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics this summer, allowing four local free-to-air channels to show the games. The administration made a similar move during the Tokyo Olympiad three years ago. Sports sector lawmaker Kenneth Fok said the move could help Hongkongers follow the games better and show support for the SAR's athletes. The vice president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee said the broadcasts would be an important way to develop the local sports industry while providing a boost to media covering the games. Fok said going forward, he hoped officials could find a more sustainable media coverage model by starting negotiations with local broadcasters at an earlier stage, so the government wouldn’t have to bear all the costs for the rights. "In my view, it doesn't have to be the government paying 100 percent of the costs. The costs could be borne by different parties, with different rights associated to the costs… [as ways] to structure the deals," he told reporters. Fok and DAB lawmaker Vincent Cheng said based on the Tokyo experience, many people would flock to places like shopping malls and restaurants to watch the games, so they expect the free broadcasts could help businesses around Hong Kong. Cheng said he understood that broadcasters may have difficulty buying the rights in the current economic environment. He expressed hope that TV stations would broadcast the events of all Hong Kong athletes, and show sports involving the national team as much as possible. "If we have free channels to let Hong Kong people watch at any time, I think that will be great. So we really support the government's [move]," he told lawmakers. Cheng said despite the time difference, he hoped the government would show the games live in public places such as the West Kowloon Cultural District, the lawn at Victoria Park and at various sports centres.