RoadShow

RoadShow Media Limited is engaged in the provision of media sales and management services for MMOB business.

Bus Power Limited is engaged in the provision of media sales services for advertising on transit vehicle exteriors and interiors.

Leader Force Limited is engaged in the provision of media sales for advertising on billboards.

RoadShow Creations Limited manages the merchandising business of the corporation. The business includes selling of a variety of commemorative items, bus models and souvenirs.

Bus Focus Limited has come into an agreement with KMB Group on the advertising on a number of bus shelters. Bus Focus Ltd enjoys the right to operate the advertising business on bus shelters while KMB Group receives a royalty on a revenue sharing basis, subject to a minimum payment.

The Group's MMOB business includes installing, operating and maintaining equipment and LCD units in transit vehicles for the transmission of tailor-made programmes and advertisements, source programme content and marketing and selling advertising on the MMOB system.

Roadshow provides entertainment and advertisements to the passengers of public transit vehicles in Hong Kong. The programmes are broadcast daily, to an audience of around 3 million, by a series of LCD monitors, each offering a 160° viewing angle, installed in over 4000 transit vehicles from KMB, Long Win Bus (a subsidiary of KMB), Citybus (Hong Kong) and AMS (maxicab).

Each bus has 4 high-resolution LCD screens, which included two 15-inch screens on the lower deck and two 17-inch screens on the upper deck. Audio bus TV broadcasts one-hour pre-recorded VCD programmes 16–18 times a day. The audio of the television broadcasts is delivered via 15 public speakers that line both sides of the passageways on the two decks with four-channel stereo systems.

Another business of RoadShow is advertising on the transit vehicle exterior, interior or transit vehicle shelters. The advertisements make use of the visibility of transit vehicles or vehicle shelters in the street. This outdoor media platform provides over 4,200 buses with exterior panels on double deck buses together with 2,500 bus shelters panels for display of advertising space.

The advertising on the transit vehicle exterior is produced from a high resolution vinyl which can be visible from distance by pedestrians. Transit vehicle exterior advertising includes advertisements on the entire transit vehicle body as well as on panels on the sides and back of the transit vehicle. The vinyl displays are able to withstand the rigors of cleaning and all types of weather, and they can also be removed without harming the paint on the transit vehicle through the use of a special adhesive.

While major transit vehicle shelters are traditional shelters, there are increasingly modern transit vehicle shelters constructed of lightweight stainless steel providing comfort to waiting passengers and also an advertising medium to advertisers. Transit vehicle shelter panels mostly have two sides, both of which can display advertisements. The back of the panels is illuminated to highlight the advertisements and to reach both the vehicular and the pedestrian audiences. Advertisements for display in transit vehicle shelters consist of posters supplied by the advertiser.

Bus stop stations called Cyber bus stops are interactive computer terminals locating at certain transit vehicle shelters along major routes as well as inside major transit vehicle terminals. Passengers and pedestrians can access to route information and website via touch-screen display panels.

Bus Model of KMB Fleet

RoadShow merchandising business sells a variety of commemorative items, bus models and souvenirs with the KMB logo. The bus models sold are with special livery and replicate buses operated by Kowloon Motor Bus.

KMB is now undertaking an experimental project to introduce the Global Positioning System (GPS) on bus tracking and bus fleet management. Apart from the traffic management purpose, the usage of GPS on the fleet can also provide real time information to RoadShow, which means that real time news, weather and traffic information will be available in RoadShow in the future.

However, in dense urban areas with congested high-rise buildings, the satellite signals to the GPS receiver are often blocked and the accuracy of the results adversely affected. KMB claims that GPS would only be installed to the whole fleet until the problem is solved.

The main argument against MMOB argues the fact that the travellers cannot turn off the programs, turn down the volume or change channel. This implies that they cannot skip the commercials. Public transport franchises enjoy "monopoly" over many routes. Many passengers have no real alternative means of transport. The term "captive audience" is repeated. Human brain cannot ignore sound or vision. RoadShow's website described bus television as "a highly effective multi-media advertising platform that pushes your products and services to reach a mass audience in a captive environment".

On the other side, there are passengers who welcome MMOB. Especially short-distance travellers, welcome the free infotainment. By short-distance travellers, it means travellers who travel for less than 10 minutes. Others supporting bus television believe that the income from commercials will ultimately help to reduce pressure on fare increase and ensure more efficient public bus services.

The introduction of this "Multi-media on Board" on franchised public transport is controversial. Members of the public and newspaper columnists have complained in the media about the problems of noise pollution, ubiquitous commercialism, exploitation of passengers' captive situation, abuse of public transport franchises, and the lack of options for passengers who prefer not to watch or listen to television broadcasts.

The installation of commercial TV services in buses was met with opposition from its beginning. The opposition came from passengers who found the noise from commercial broadcasting on buses disturbing. A concern group called Hush the Bus (HTB, 靜巴運動) was formed on 4 May 2002. It aims to reduce passenger annoyance from bus TV. Prior to the establishment of HTB, what later became members of it lobbied against multi-media advertising on public transport under the ban of the Citizens Party. Members have met with government officials, legislators and executives of the bus companies. HTB has managed to continue to interact with its supporters and is persistent in its lobbying work. But in the main it has remained a minority. It has been argued that its activities highlight the weak power of environmental or civic groups contra profit-making corporations.

Also there is NO Bus on TV Project, which is supported by Hong Kong Consumer Advocates, established to protect kids from being captured by the broadcast of TV on public bus. They conduct surveys on buses and report the data on websites and they expose the flaw of why the bus companies so eager to run bus TV. They advocate safe and fair public transportation facilities in Hong Kong.

They claim that Bus TV violate riders' rights to freedom of choice. And while some advertisements, content of the programmes might have:

• violence
• debasing music
• movies not suitable for children
• adult movies
• boring talk show
• superstitious talk show
• aggressively pushing products and services
• manipulative ads which can bring great harms to people especially children.

They claim that Roadshow has interrupted their freedom as there are:

• no on-off switch
• no remote control
• no option not to be bothered