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A Brief History

The story of Robert Chua

50+ years of broadcasting experience involving all aspects of television production and distribution

1967,Robert inspecting TVB’s site with Mr Collin Bednell TVB’s first general manager(far right)

The Chuas with Mr. Xavier Roy at CETV 1994 Soft Launch Party.

Brief History

In May 1997, after 35 years of television, Robert Chua held a party to celebrate his 30th year in television in Hong Kong and China. It was an event to mark three decades of television in Hong Kong and his 51st birthday.

Robert Chua’s career is unmatched in Asian broadcasting circles. He pioneered Hong Kong’s first terrestrial TV station in 1967 as one of the first executive producers at Television Broadcasts (TVB), now Hong Kong’s dominant TV station and a powerhouse in Southern China.

Robert started out at TVB as Senior Production Executive, rising soon to Production Manager and then Special Assistant to the Managing Director.


One of the first programs shown on TVB was Robert Chua’s production of `Enjoy Yourself Tonight (EYT.)’ This program, which became Asia’s longest running variety show was also the first show broadcast live in Hong Kong.

 

In 1974 Mr Chua started his own production and programming company, Robert Chua Production House Co Ltd (RCP.)

In 1979, RCP became the first foreign TV production and advertising company to enter the mainland China market. In the same year RCP sold almost HK$1 million in advertising on Chinese television stations. Over the years Robert Chua and RCP channelled many more millions of advertising dollars into China’s fledgling advertising industry. Many of the ads were produced by RCP, which also produced educational programming and acted as a distributor of foreign TV programs and films for the China market.


In July 1989, Robert Chua was the first major media player to make an official visit to China just one month after the June 4 incident in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. While many Western media organisations treated China as a pariah nation, Mr Chua went to Shanghai at the request of the city’s Film and Television Bureau, helping to rebuild bridges between the mainland, Hong Kong and the rest of the world.

In 1994 Robert Chua founded China Entertainment Television Broadcast (CETV), a Chinese language family entertainment channel beamed by satellite into China and around Asia. Billed initially as the ”No Sex, No Violence, No News” channel, CETV has built up a loyal following among Asian viewers. After some turbulent years, with Robert Chua competing intensely with multinationals on his own, media giant Time Warner became a broadcasting partner in CETV in June 2000.

Towards end 2003 Robert sold his entire share holdings to Time Warner.
In 2004 Robert foundered TIC (The Interactive Channel), Asia first 24 hours “cross-media” interactive TV channel.

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