Hong Kong broadcaster TVB is to drop all BBC channels from its streaming service by the end of the month, HKFP has learned.

BBC World News, BBC Earth, CBeebies and BBC Lifestyle are set to disappear from MyTVSuper on January 31.

TVB. File photo: Tim Wu, via Wikicommons.

TVB told HKFP it would not comment on individual cases, but stated that it “reviews its programme structure and development on a regular basis in order to provide informative and innovative programmes to the audiences.”

When approached, the BBC referred HKFP to TVB. However, a spokesperson added: “On the BBC side, our channels, including BBC World News, are still available on HK Cable and Now TV, plus our digital news services are available on bbc.com and bbc.com/Chinese as well as on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.”

The BBC headquarters in London. File Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP.

In 2017, local public broadcaster RTHK replaced its 24-hour BBC World Service radio broadcast with Chinese state-run programming. In 2021, it suspended its relay of BBC World Service and BBC News Weekly after China banned the UK broadcaster’s channels over its reporting on Xinjiang.

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Tom Grundy

Tom is the editor-in-chief and founder of Hong Kong Free Press. He has a BA in Communications and New Media from Leeds University and an MA in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong. He has contributed to the BBC, Euronews, Al-Jazeera and others.