RoadShow

RoadShow（路訊通, formerly known as "資訊娛樂共同睇" [paraphrased as Integrated View of Information and Entertainment]） is a "Multi-Media On Board" (MMOB) service on transit vehicles in Hong Kong. It was launched by Kowloon Motor Bus Company (KMB) on 26 November 2000. In addition to the MMOB business, the RoadShow is also involved in the outdoor advertising in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

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The Corporation

RoadShow Holdings Ltd（路訊通控股有限公司, SEHK: 888） is currently a member of KMB Group. KMB has 74% of the franchised bus market share and 27% of the public transport market share in Hong Kong. At the same time, Citybus, another Hong Kong bus company which involved in RoadShow's MMOB business, owns 14% of the bus market share.

RoadShow Holdings Limited is owned 73% by the KMB Holdings and the remaining 27% goes to public investors. There are four wholly owned subsidiaries under RoadShow Holdings Limited. They are RoadVision Holdings (China) Limited, RoadShow Media Holdings Limited, RoadShow Creations Limited and RoadShow Media Limited. At the same time, the group holds 60% of share of its subsidiary the Bus Focus Limited.

Reorganization arrangements were made in response to the listing of RoadShow Holdings Ltd in 2001. Subsidiaries in RoadShow were assigned to different business aspects.

RoadShow Media Ltd

RoadShow Media Ltd is responsible for providing management and administrative services in relation to bus body advertising of the KMB fleet. Service charge will be paid to RoadShow Media Ltd by KMB Public Bus Services Holdings Ltd.

Bus Focus Ltd

Bus Focus Ltd has come into an agreement with KMB Group on the advertising on a number of bus shelters. Bus Focus Ltd enjoys the right to operate the advertising business on bus shelters while KMB Group receives a royalty on a revenue sharing basis, subject to a minimum payment.

RoadVision Holdings (China) Ltd

RoadVision Holdings (China) Ltd responsible for the development of the corporation in China. It holds interests in certain subsidiaries ,and also an associate company which engaged in outdoor advertising in Mainland China. It, on the other hand, manages a worldwide multi-dimensional advertising network which covers more than 200 cities in the Mainland China.

RoadShow Creations Ltd

RoadShow Creations Ltd manages the merchandising business of the corporation. The business includes selling of a variety of commemorative items, bus models and souvenirs.

Business

RoadShow provides MMOB service through LCD screen in the vehicle, transit advertising and merchandising small bus models or souvenirs.

MMOB

The Group's MMOB business includes installing, operating and maintaining equipment and LCD units in transit vehicles for the transmission of tailor-made programmes and advertisements, source programme content and marketing and selling advertising on the MMOB system. Roadshow provides entertainment and advertisements to the passengers of public transit vehicles in Hong Kong. The programmes are broadcasted to around 3 millions audience a day by a series of strategically mounted, vibration- resistant LCD monitors, each offering a 160 degree viewing angle, installed in over 4000 transit vehicles from KMB, Long Win Bus (a subsidiary of KMB), Citybus (Hong Kong) and AMS (maxicab). Each bus has 4 high resolution LCD screens, which included two 15" screens on the lower deck and two 17" screens on the upper deck. Audio bus TV broadcasts one-hour pre-recorded VCD programmes 16-18 times a day. The audio of the television broadcasts is delivered via 15 public speakers that line both sides of the passageways on the two decks with four-channel stereo systems.

Transit network

Another business of RoadShow is advertising on the transit vehicle exterior or transit vehicle shelters. Transit vehicle exterior advertising includes advertising on the entire transit vehicle body as well as on panels on the sides and back of the transit vehicle. It makes use of the visibilitiy of transit vehicles or vehicle shelters in the street. This outdoor media platform provides over 4,200 buses with exterior panels on double deck buses together with 2,500 bus shelters panels for display of advertising space.

Merchandising

Bus Model of KMB Fleet

RoadShow merchandising business sells a variety of commemorative items, bus models and souvenirs with the KMB logo.

Business in Mainland China

RoadShow began operating on the Mainland in 2002 when it gained the rights to display advertising at the "Lamplight Rainbow" Tunnel on Huahai Road(淮海路) in Shanghai(上海). Subsequently, its assets grew to include bus bodies, bus shelters and telephone booths in Beijing(北京), Guangzhou(廣州) and Shenzhen(深圳). It also began offering advertising agency services for the Guangzhou Metro mass transit system and outdoor media assets in other regions such as Tianjin(天津), Chengdu(成都) and Xi'an(西安).

Programming

Recently all of the RoadShow's programmes are prepared in a video compact disc (VCD). There are 3 different versions of VCD available in the 4,000 buses. There is a certain pattern in distributing different versions of disc, which version A and B will be available in 1,200 buses respectively and version C for 1,600 buses. All discs are distributed on a daily, random and rotational basis over the fleet.

Apart from TV advertisements, a number of programme segments have been introduced to RoadShow's programme development. These segments are not only produced by the production team of RoadShow, but also from independent production bodies and other local (e.g. ATV and RTHK) and non-local media agencies (e.g. Phoenix TV and BBC and also Taiwan TV programmes).

In September 2001, RoadShow and ATV have agreed to become strategic partners and struck a 3-year deal that entitles RoadShow the exclusive right to show ATV programme highlights. TV drama highlights, weekly news summary, game show as well as infotainment programmes have been aired on RoadShow.

In addition, RTHK is now providing programme content freely to RoadShow as well.

The content of segments can be catagorized in the following classification.

Type [Example(s)]

• Cartoon [Charming Pink Panther]
• Celebrity Chat [RoadShow House of Stars]
• Family and Health [Strategy to Health]
• iClub Interactive Game [iClub Mobile Phone Ringtone Downloading, iClub Jetso Delivery]
• Infotainment [Youth Voice by Breakthrough, Trend Fascination]
• Lifestyle [Delicacies in Hong Kong]
• Music and Movie [Music on Road and Power Pick]
• News and Current Affairs [Weekly News Summary]
• Science [Mobile Digital Station]
• Society, Education and Community [When We Were Young by RTHK, The Disney Oral Classroom]
• Special [Your LegCo, Meeting Room of Scarlett Pong]
• Sports and Recreation [J.League Soccer News]
• Travelogue [3 Minutes to the World]

Most of the RoadShow's programmes are in Cantonese with Chinese language subtitles. But increasingly there are more English and Putonghua programmes available for passengers.

Future Development on Programming

KMB is now undertaking an experimental project to introduce the Global Positioning System (GPS) on bus tracking and bus fleet management. Apart from the traffic management purpose, the usage of GPS on the fleet can also provide real time information to RoadShow, which means that real time news, weather and traffic information will be available in RoadShow in the future.

However, in dense urban areas with congested high-rise buildings, the satellite signals to the GPS receiver are often blocked and the accuracy of the results adversely affected. KMB claims that GPS would only be installed to the whole fleet until the problem is solved.

Advertisement

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Mega Rear

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whole bus

MMOB serves as a mobile podium for advertising in Hong Kong. It's special feature is to provide a large number of passengers with frequent broadcasting on advertisements, those mobile advertisements can arouse consumers' impromptu intention on shopping. It is a popular channel for companies to promote their products for different reasons:

• When people watch television at home they are often engaged in other activities. They are sometimes eating, looking after their children, knitting, cooking etc. In this way watching television becomes a secondary activity. But at the bus the consumers don't have a lot of other activities to engage in. Here, watching television becomes a primary activity.

• By choosing bus-routes for their commercials, advertisers can easily identify consumers traveling to shopping centers and entertainment venues on transit vehicles. They are on their way to spend money and will easily recall the information given by the advertisers while they are shopping.

In addition to MMOB services, RoadShow also served as the agency in managing a number of outdoor advertisements on exterior of buses and in bus shelter panels in Greater China Region.

Movement against RoadShow

A Captive Audience

The main argument against MMOB argues the fact that the travellers cannot turn off the programs, turn down the volume or change channel. This implies that they cannot skip the commercials. Public transport franchises enjoy "monopoly" over many routes. Many passengers have no real alternative means of transport. The term "captive audience" is repeated. Human brain cannot ignore sound or vision. RoadShow's website describes bus television as "a highly effective multi-media advertising platform that pushes your products and services to reach a mass audience in a captive environment".

On the other side, there are passengers who welcome MMOB. Especially short-distance travellers, welcome the free infotainment. By short-distance travellers, it means travellers who travel for less than 10 minutes. Others supporting bus television believe that the income from commercials will ultimately help to reduce pressure on fare increase and ensure more efficient public bus services.

Anti-bus TV Noise Groups

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The "Hush the Bus" logo

The introduction of this "Multi-media On Board" on franchised public transport is controversial. Members of the public and newspaper columnists have complained in the media about the problems of noise pollution, ubiquitous commercialism, exploitationof passengers' captive situation, abuse of public transport franchises, and the lack of options for passengers who prefer not to watch or listen to television broadcasts.

The installation of commercial TV services in buses was met with opposition from it's beginning. The opposition came from passengers who found the noise from commercial broadcasting on buses disturbing. A concern group called Hush the Bus (HTB, 靜巴運動) was formed on 4 May 2002. It aims to reduce passenger annoyance from bus TV. Prior to the establishment of HTB, what later became members of it lobbyed against multi-media advertising on public transport under the ban of the Citizens Party. Members have met with government officials, legislators and executives of the bus companies. HTB has managed to continue to interact with it's supporters and is persistent in it's lobbying work. But in the main it has remained a minority. It has been argued that it's activities highlight the weak power of environmental or civic groups contra profit-making corporations.

Also there is NO TV on Bus Project, which is supported by Hong Kong Consumer Advocates, established to protect kids from being captured by the broadcast of TV on public bus. They conduct surveys on buses and report the data on websites and they expose the flaw of why the bus companies so eager to run bus TV. They advocate safe and fair public transportation facilities in Hong Kong.

They claim that Bus TV violate riders' rights to freedom of choice. And while some advertisements, content of the programmes might have:

• violence
• debasing music
• movies not suitable for children
• adult movies
• boring talk show
• superstitious talk show
• aggressively pushing products and services
• manipulative ads

which can bring great harms to people especially children.

They claim that Roadshow has interrupted their freedom as there are:

• no on-off switch
• no remote control
• no option not to be bothered

Directors and Executive Members

• Chairman and Non-Executive Director: Mr John Chan Cho Chak (陳祖澤)
• Deputy chairman and Non-Executive Director: Mr Michael Wong Yick-kam (黃奕鑑)
• Group Managing Director: Ms Winnie J Ng (伍穎梅)
• Director: Mr Mak Chun Keung (麥振強)
• Director and Chief Operations Officer: Ms Amanda Lui Yee Fai (雷怡暉)
• Chief Programme Officer: Mr Yeung Chun-yiu (楊振燿)
• Chief Financial Officer: Mr Thomas Mak Hing Keung (麥興強)

Awards

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Caring Company Award

• 2005
  • Caring Company Award 2004/05
  • Gold Award for Cover Photo/ Design
  • Honors Award for Non-Traditional Annual Report

RoadShow received the Caring Company Award of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service for four consecutine years from 2002 to 2005. RoadShow was recognised for its efforts in caring for the community and commitmetn to good corporate citizenship through disseminating community service messages and broadcasting public educational programmes via MMOB.

• 2004
  • Gold Award for Overall Annual Report
  • Caring Company Award 2003/04
  • Champion Award in the 15th Hong Kong Print Awards in the Annual Report category
  • Awards of Annual Reports Competition 2004

RoadShow received the Gold Award for Overall Annual Reports in the media cpmpany category from the International Academy Awards of Annual Reports Competition 2004. The competition is hosted annually by the New York-based MerComm Inc

• 2003
  • Gold Award for Cover Design
  • Silver Award for Non-Traditional Annual Report

RoadShow received the Gold Award for Cover Photo/Design and Silver Award for Non-traditional Annual Reports from the International Academy Awards of Annual Reports Competition in 2003.

RoadShow also received several awards between 2001 and 2002.

Other MMOBs in Hong Kong

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M-Channel on New World First Bus

• FirsTVision(新資訊)
• M-Channel
• Newsline Express （新聞直線）

In March 2005, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCR) and i-CABLE Communications Limited (i-Cable) annouced the launching of "Newsline Express" on board the KCR trains. News information and advertisement will be delivered to passengers through the existing Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) on trains.

See also

• Media in Hong Kong
• Transportation in Hong Kong

External links

• Official site of RoadShow
• Hush the Bus
• Citizens Party
• NO Bus TV
• A Journal about Multi-media Advertising on Buses

References

• Presentation materials provided by Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited on RoadShow Multi-Media on Board Service to Legislative Council, Hong Kong (2002)
• Official Website of RoadShow Holdings Limited
• RoadShow Holdings Limited Annual Report (2004)