Television Broadcasts Ltd ( TVB)'s logo on the wall of its building stands in the Tsueng Kwan O Industrial Estate area of Hong Kong. Daniel J Groshong /Bloomberg News

Reports of imminent challenges to the dominance of Hong Kong's Television Broadcasts (TVB) by at least two new television broadcasters have sent ripples as far as Shanghai.

This only points to the fact that TVB's influence on the entertainment industry in the region has started ebbing.

Over the past many decades, the popularity of its many drama series, distributed initially in video cassettes and later in DVDs on the mainland and in several Southeast Asian countries, has exemplified the power of Hong Kong's creative talents.

But the glitter of the city's creative industry seems to be fading, and its influence, waning. TVB may still have a tight grip on the TV market in Hong Kong, but its programs have lost much of their appeal among the young people on the mainland and elsewhere in the region.

Perhaps, we are reading too much into the rising popularity of some TV programs produced on the mainland, or maybe, this is just a fad. But, at the same time, the dream weavers in our entertainment world should know that viewers now want something different, if not necessarily better.

To be sure, TVB still maintains a comfortable lead over its counterparts on the mainland and in most Asian countries, including rising star, South Korea, in terms of production techniques. Compared with those produced on the mainland and in South Korea, TVB programs are still a lot better and more appealing. They have a crisper pace and more believable plots and realistic performances. But despite its best efforts, TVB's hold on its local audience has been slipping in recent years.

In the past, watching TVB's variety shows and drama series in the evening was the only source of entertainment. When I lived in Singapore in the early 80s, I was happy to spend most evenings watching TVB's drama series from rented cassette tapes.

In an interview for a story in the newspaper with which I used to work, a top TVB executive ascribed his station's success story to frequent and exhaustive market researches, which in his view, enabled program planners to have a clear idea of what its target audience wanted. The exercise served to build a bridge between producers and viewers.

But now, more and more people, particularly the younger ones, complain that TVB is losing touch with some major issues like worsening environmental conditions and deepening social injustice manifested in the fast widening wealth gap between the rich minority and the poor majority.

Industry observers in Hong Kong have long argued that lack of competition has made TVB complacent. While ATV has long ceased to be a competitor, Cable TV has chosen to focus more on a niche market and avoid butting head with TVB.

The script is changing. Several senior TVB staffers in management and program production have reportedly quit to join the consortiums that are said to be bidding for new television licenses. These people, it seems, are bent on giving TVB a run for its money.

That sounds positive. We can now hope that the ensuing competition will churn out some best creative talents and see Hong Kong back as the region's entertainment capital.

The author is a staff writer.

(HK Edition 09/28/2010 page4)