Phoenix Hong Kong Channel Celebrates the First Anniversary of Broadcasting on Hong Kong Free-to-Air Channel 85
Phoenix Hong Kong Channelcelebrates the first anniversary of its broadcasting on Hong Kong free-to-air Channel 85 on 22 April. John Lee, Chief Executive of the HKSAR; Xu Zhengzhong, Chairman of Bauhinia Culture Holdings Limited; Xu Wei, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix TV; Sun Yusheng, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Editor-in-Chief of Phoenix TV; and Choi Koon-shum, Standing Committee Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area Entrepreneurs Alliance,honouredthe ceremonywhich waspresentedby local leaders from various sectors, including political, business and media.
In his speech, John Lee said, Phoenix TV has grown alongside Hong Kong over the years and enjoys a longstanding bond with the city, making Hong Kong its home and providing high-quality television broadcasting services to Hong Kong residents and Chinese communities worldwide. Phoenix TV has become the largest Chinese-language multimedia organisation outside Mainland China, delivering objective and timely news and current affairs programmes with a global perspective. Phoenix Hong Kong Channel delivers news and information programmes tailored for the Greater Bay Area and Chinese communities worldwide, broadcasting in both Mandarin and Cantonese to offer a wider variety of programming to Hong Kong residents."
Hong Kong is the world's third largest international financial centre and is actively building an international innovation and technology hub. John Lee said,"Today’s event marks the official launch of a collaborative project between Phoenix TV andthe Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau of the HKSAR Government. This collaboration will deliver actionable insights on Web3 and virtual asset development to the public, enabling more investors to understand the latest developments in the digital economy through Hong Kong’s extensive expertise in financial services, while showcasing the vibrancy and opportunities of Hong Kong’s financial sector to the international community.”
Xu Wei stated in his address that Phoenix TV has always upheld its mission to "promote Chinese culture and foster international exchanges." Established in 2011, Phoenix Hong Kong Channel exemplifies this commitment. Based in Hong Kong, Phoenix strives to contribute meaningfully to the city. In April 2025 alone, Phoenix hosted two major events here - the global premiere of the documentary Never Too Lateand the 2025 World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit - showcasing Hong Kong's global appeal.
Since its launch on 22 April 2024 on Hong Kong's free-to-air TV Channel 85, Phoenix Hong Kong Channel has seen a steady increase in viewership, with the average all-day time slot viewership up 42.73% in March 2025 compared to May 2024, and the audience share up 48.97%.
Xu Wei said, "With Phoenix Hong Kong Channel's rising ratings and growing influence, the increasing support from our viewers is the best recognition of our Hong Kong-rooted, globally-oriented development strategy. Hong Kong is a city moving in lockstep with the global community. Here, we trace the origins of Chinese culture while riding the wave of global trends - a duality embodied by Phoenix Hong Kong Channel. Through locally-produced programs, we document the city's vibrant daily life and amplify community voices. By leveraging international resources, we spotlight Hong Kong's dynamism and can-do spirit on the world stage."
Subsequently, under the joint witness of John Lee and Xu Wei, Joseph Chan, Acting Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the HKSAR Government, and Yeung Ka-keung, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Phoenix TV, signed Hong Kong Financial New Frontiers Framework Cooperation Agreement.
In the session of "Watching the happening of major events on Phoenix TV", Tang Fei, Member of the Legislative Council of HKSAR the Vice-President of Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, who is also a big fan of the Hong Kong Channel, said that Phoenix TV, as an international Chinese-language media, offers viewers diverse perspectives in covering global events. He also conducted a live video link and interaction with Ciel Liu, a reporter from Phoenix TV based in Singapore, who has travelled to Ukraine three times to report after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, and recently rushed to Myanmar to cover the country in the wake of the devastating earthquake there.
A number of quality programmes broadcasting on Phoenix Hong Kong Channelwith focus on local social and livelihood issues with a humanistic touch, such as Hong Kong Perspectivesand My Hong Kong Story, were also showcased at the ceremony. Allan Zeman, Chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Concepts Holdings Ltd, who has lived in Hong Kong for more than 58 years, took the stage to share his own stories with the city and his perception of Phoenix with experience of being interviewed on many occasions in the past. He praised Phoenix's reporting for its speed, depth and warmth.
In addition, the site also introduced Hong Kong Nature Story, a large-scale cultural and public service project co-produced by Phoenix Media Group and China Resources Group, as well as the newly upgraded and revamped second season of Hong Kong Hot Kitchen, a culinary, cultural and current affairs programme hosted by Hong Kong's political veteran, Gary Cheng. Frederick Ma, Chairman of the Board of Directors of FWD, Grouptook part in the interaction on stage, feeling the "heat of the kitchen" and experiencing the programme's characteristics: talking about Hong Kong-style food and commenting on world affairs. He admittedthat Phoenix TV, which has a huge global audience, is the only channel that can bring the "Hong Kong flavour" to the world.
A number of Phoenix TV's branded projects were unveiled, including the large-scale international communication project on Traditional Chinese Medicine culture, The Healing Path, which was co-produced by Phoenix TV and Dong-E E-Jiao. Li Qingchuan, Vice President at Dong-E E-Jiao said, "We hope to promote the overseas dissemination of Traditional Chinese Medicine culture through the The Healing Pathproject, and work together to build a community of human health and wellness."
Speaking of the "Phoenix Go Glocal" project, which aims to build "Your premier international communication platform for going global", Choi Koon-shum said he hoped to work together with Phoenix TV not only to go out with Chinese entrepreneurs, but also to bring in enterprises from outside.
Lastly, Phoenix TV senior hosts Sally Wu and Tiger Hu shared their journey of growing up with the company over the past 20 years since joining Phoenix. And Lin Hexuan, one of the winning contestants of the Host Hunt, shared his feelings about the competition and his love for Phoenix TV as a new generation of newscasters.
Since its launch on 22 April 2024 on Hong Kong's free-to-air TV Channel 85, Phoenix Hong Kong Channel’s self-produced news programmes, Cantonese commentaries, cultural documentaries and current affairs features have been highly acclaimed by various sectors in Hong Kong, including politics, business and academia, and its local influence continues to grow. In addition, Phoenix Hong Kong Channel also reaches out to Hong Kong, Macau and Southeast Asia through Now TV pay-TV, streaming platforms, Macau Cable Television, etc., and is widely distributed on Phoenix Satellite Television App Limited and international media platforms such as YouTube.