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 the Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) Company on 26th November, 2000.
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.
The Corporation
RoadShow Holdings Ltd （路訊通控股有限公司） SEHK: 888 is currently a member of KMB Group. In addition to the MMOB business, the company also involved in the outdoor advertising in Beijing, Shanghai,Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
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.
Business
RoadShow provides MMOB service though 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 LCD screens installed in over 4000 transit vehicles from Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB), Long Win Bus (a subsidiary of KMB), Citybus 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 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.
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
RoadShow merchandising business sells a variety of commemorative items, bus models and souvenirs with the KMB logo.
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).
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
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 mentioned problem is solved.
Advertisement
It is also served as a mobile podium for advertising in Hong Kong. Its 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. So it becomes a popular channel for many companies to promote their products.
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.
Mainland China
RoadShow began operating on the Mainland in 2002 when it gained the rights to display advertising at the “Lampliight 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 Xian(西安).
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
2005
Caring Company Award 2004/05
Gold Award for Cover Photo/ Design
Honors Award for Non-Traditional Annual Report
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
2003
Gold Award for Cover Design
Silver Award for Non-Traditional Annual Report
And RoadShow received several awards in 2002 and 2001.
Anti-bus TV Noise Group
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 theproblems 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.In A concern group called Hush the Bus [1](靜巴運動) was formed on 4 May 2002.It aims to reduce passenger annoyance from bus TV. The main argument against MMOB argues the fact that the travelers can't turn off the programs, turn down the volume or change channel. This implies that they can't skip the commercials. Public transport franchisees enjoy "monopoly" over many routes. Many passengers have no real alternative means of transport.The term a "captivized audience" is repeated. RoadShow's website describes bus television as "a highly effective multi-mediaransp 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 travelers, welcome the free infotainment. By short-distance travelers it's meant travelers who travel for less than ten minutes. Others support bus television believing that the income from commercials will ultimately help reduce pressure on fare increase and ensure more efficient public bus services.
See also: