<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>TV serials: Disappointed by switch from Cantonese to Mandarin
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I HAVE been a staunch supporter of StarHub Cable TV since its inception. When StarHub rolled out VV Drama on Demand channels last November on its video-on-demand (VOD) platform, I was excited as it would feature TVB Drama serials to be broadcast in their original dialect, Cantonese, which would suit both my grandmother and mother, who are from Hong Kong. It is a good deal as it costs only $4 a month for existing subscribers of VV Drama.
However, on Monday evening, my grandmother complained that the serials were no longer in Cantonese. I reassured her that it might be a glitch on StarHub's side as we had encountered technical issues with Demand TV since it began.
That afternoon, I had read a StarHub press release which offered what looked like a good deal since subscribers no longer had to pay the $4 monthly subscription fee. However, what caught me by surprise was that it would mean I would no longer enjoy Cantonese content on VV Drama on Demand. I was also told subsequently by a StarHub customer service agent that Cantonese content on TVB Dramas is still available on Demand TV, where subscribers pay $1 per episode.
I accept that this is a commercial decision by StarHub to increase average revenue per user.
However, I wish that first, StarHub had informed subscribers in advance of this change rather than on the effective date. Second, I wish it had included in its press release the fact that Cantonese content is no longer offered in VV Drama on Demand after the change rather than keep subscribers in the dark.
I do not mind paying $1 per episode to watch serials in their original dialect, but I believe many subscribers will object as they can catch them on linear channels at $8 per month, albeit in Mandarin only. Lim Swee Tian
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I HAVE been a staunch supporter of StarHub Cable TV since its inception. When StarHub rolled out VV Drama on Demand channels last November on its video-on-demand (VOD) platform, I was excited as it would feature TVB Drama serials to be broadcast in their original dialect, Cantonese, which would suit both my grandmother and mother, who are from Hong Kong. It is a good deal as it costs only $4 a month for existing subscribers of VV Drama.
However, on Monday evening, my grandmother complained that the serials were no longer in Cantonese. I reassured her that it might be a glitch on StarHub's side as we had encountered technical issues with Demand TV since it began.
That afternoon, I had read a StarHub press release which offered what looked like a good deal since subscribers no longer had to pay the $4 monthly subscription fee. However, what caught me by surprise was that it would mean I would no longer enjoy Cantonese content on VV Drama on Demand. I was also told subsequently by a StarHub customer service agent that Cantonese content on TVB Dramas is still available on Demand TV, where subscribers pay $1 per episode.
I accept that this is a commercial decision by StarHub to increase average revenue per user.
However, I wish that first, StarHub had informed subscribers in advance of this change rather than on the effective date. Second, I wish it had included in its press release the fact that Cantonese content is no longer offered in VV Drama on Demand after the change rather than keep subscribers in the dark.
I do not mind paying $1 per episode to watch serials in their original dialect, but I believe many subscribers will object as they can catch them on linear channels at $8 per month, albeit in Mandarin only. Lim Swee Tian
