HKTV launch dampened by server problems

The HKTV launch ceremony yesterday afternoon turned out exactly as planned: a big crowd, lots of champagne and a massive 1 million downloads of its viewing app.But all that was overshadowed by the worrying ability of the company's servers, which crashed for hours after going live. HKTV live streaming kicked off at 8pm last night, but many users took to social media saying they were unable to gain access to the site.A spokesperson from HKTV told Marketing the reason for the server failure was unclear, but the channel is now “much improved”.Two of HKTV’s dramas, Borderline and The Election, were available in advance of the official launch at 6am yesterday, drawing some 250,000 viewers in first seven hours.The HKTV launch, which fell on the same day as the 47th anniversary of TVB, was widely seen as a move to dent the ratings of its annual anniversary gala programme. (TVB's ratings data was not available at press time).HKTV's online shopping segment, which was supposed to launch this month, has now been postponed to January next year. The company said it is to ensure the system's stability.However. its online shopping platform has already captured 333 brands from Hong Kong, Japan and Korea including men’s and ladies’ fashion, jewelry, supermarket, electronic products, household appliances, sports and outdoor products, pet accessories, healthcare food, lifestyle, food and beverages.Ricky Wong, chairman of HKTV, remains upbeat. “No matter the road ahead is smooth or rugged, we will have to think for our next generation, to create a fair and blissful living environment,” he said. “You and I were born and raised here, we all love Hong Kong. "The new slogan ‘Always Something New’ carries the meaning that, we should not look back on the way we lived, but to realize what is happening at this new environment and new situation, and to prepare for the new life, bringing motivation and energy to our next generation."