ATV Home
| Company type | Free-to-air television channel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Predecessor | Rediffusion Television Cantonese Channel |
| Founded | 1963 |
| Defunct | 2016 |
| Fate | License revoked; channel ceased transmission |
| Successor | RTHK TV 31 (analogue) |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong , Hong Kong |
Area served | Hong Kong |
| Owner | Asia Television |
ATV Home () was a Cantonese-language free-to-air television channel based in Hong Kong, operated by Asia Television. Its origins date back to September 1963 when the bilingual Rediffusion Television subscription service divided into separate Cantonese and English channels. The channel was granted an over-the-air broadcasting license in 1969.
Following intense rivalry with TVB Jade, a change in ownership in 2010 prompted ATV Home to shift its focus away from dramas toward increased coverage of current affairs, news, and talk shows. This strategic pivot led to financial difficulties and internal disputes. As a consequence of ATV’s overall decline, its terrestrial license was revoked on 31 March 2015, effective from 2 April 2016; the channel ended transmission shortly before midnight on 1 April 2016 and was succeeded on analogue by RTHK TV 31.
Rediffusion Television
The roots of ATV Home lie with Rediffusion Television, Hong Kong’s inaugural television service, which launched on 29 May 1957 as a subscription-based channel charging HK$25.
On 30 September 1963, Rediffusion introduced a dedicated Cantonese-language channel known as "Rediffusion Television Cantonese Channel" (), marking the beginning of what would become ATV Home.
The channel was renamed "RTV-1" () on 1 February 1967 and obtained a free-to-air broadcast license on 10 November 1969, alongside its English counterpart RTV-2 (). Despite this, RTV began broadcasting later than rival Television Broadcasts Limited, which affected its competitive positioning until it ceased operations in 2016.
In September 1982, the station discontinued airing the Japanese drama The Rise of Shogun after just two episodes due to concerns regarding its historical content.
Asia Television
On 24 September 1982, the local Far East Group () acquired Rediffusion Television and rebranded it as Asia Television, renaming the channel "ATV Cantonese" ().
Later, on 2 February 1987, the channel adopted the name "ATV Gold" ().
Subsequently sold to the local conglomerate Lai Sun Group, the station was rebranded as "ATV Home" () on 13 February 1989. In a revelation made in 2015 by former ATV executive Selina Chow, the original intended name was "ATV Hong Kong" (), but this was changed to ATV Home following objections from Secretary for Administrative Services and Information Peter Tsao.
In September 2015, there were plans to rename the channel as ATV-1 Hong Kong (); however, these were abandoned due to the expiration of its broadcast license.
Competitive disadvantage
Entering the free-to-air Cantonese television market later than its competitors and operating with smaller budgets and less prominent talent pools, ATV Home faced significant challenges competing against the market leader TVB Jade. Although ATV occasionally managed to reduce TVB’s audience share temporarily, TVB consistently regained its dominant viewership figures.
Programming
While producing fewer dramas compared to TVB, ATV created acclaimed series such as Crocodile Tears (), Fatherland (), The Legendary Fok (), Central Affairs I and II (), and Reincarnated (). More recent notable titles include The Pride of Chao Zhou (), Who is the Winner? (), King of the Gambler (), and The Good Old Days ().
The channel also hosted prominent events like The Annual Most Popular TV Commercial Awards ().
Infotainment offerings such as Stories From Afar () achieved strong audience ratings in surveys like the Appreciation Index Survey Best Television Awards ().
Popular programs including entertainment news show Hong Kong Today (今日睇真D) and game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? () influenced other broadcasters; for instance, TVB launched similar formats such as Focus On Focus () and Weakest Link (一筆OUT消).
Popular Programmes
- aTV Miss Asia Pageant (1985–2014)
- aTV Mr. Asia Contest (2005, 2011–present)
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (2001–2005)
- Hong Kong Film Awards (2010, 2011)
- Cheers Hong Kong (2011–ongoing)
Television Drama Series
- 1984: Drunken Fist 醉拳王無忌
- 1984: Drunken Fist II 醉拳王無忌之日帝月后
- 1993: Fatal Love 危情
- 1993–94: Seasons 1 & 2 of Hong Kong and Shanghai Godfather (再見黃埔灘)
- 1994: Bays of Being Parents (), Beauty Pageant (ATV) (), Secret Battle of the Majesty (), Outlaw Hero (), The Kungfu Master (), A Cruel Lover ()
- 1995: Pao Qingtian (also known as Judge Bao) (), Fist of Fury (), Vampire Expert Season 1 (僵屍道長1)
- 1996: I Have a Date with Spring (), The Little Vagrant Lady (), King of Gamblers (), Vampire Expert Season 2 (僵屍道長2), Tales From The Dorms (), The Little Vagrant Lady II ()
- 1997: Forrest Cat Season 1 (肥貓正傳1), Year of Chameleon (), Coincidentally (), Pride of Chaozhou (), Gold Rush ()
- 1998: Thou Shalt Not Cheat (), the first and second seasons of The Heroine of the Yangs (, II ), I Come From Guangzhou (), and My Date with a Vampire ()
- 1999: Co-produced with Taiwan’s Sanlih Network, Ten Tigers of Guangdong (, ), along with Flaming Brothers () and the second season of Forrest Cat Season 2 (肥貓正傳2)
- 2000–04: Continuations of the series My Date with a Vampire, including its third chapter titled the Eternal Legend
- 2000–02: Other significant dramas during this period include Showbiz Tycoon, To Where He Belongs, Healing Hearts (), and Mission in Trouble
- 2004–08: Noteworthy productions such as Asian Heroes, Walled Village, Relentless Justice, Flaming Butterfly (), and The Men of Justice ()
- 2012: The drama series Heart's Beat for Love ()