On the 7th, Eastweek published an explosive report alleging that TVB required its contracted artists to hand over their various social media accounts and passwords for "centralized management" by the company. This has triggered considerable discussion online. There are also claims that this move by TVB is meant to align with the company's newly established "Artist Creator Network" (ACN) business strategy, so as to prevent artists from offending the Chinese market online or causing public relations disasters.
Not only are artists required to hand over their accounts while under contract with TVB, but even within one year after their contracts end, their social media platforms must still be managed by TVB, so as to prevent the company's investment and efforts from going to waste.
However, TVB issued a statement that evening. In the statement, TVB asserted that "the reported claims are inaccurate and do not reflect the real situation," emphasizing that they have not forced all artists to hand over their personal social media accounts for centralized management.
Virginia Lok, Assistant General Manager (Artist Management & Development) of Television Broadcasts Limited, stated: "The communication between the company and its artists is mainly to discuss work-level cooperation regarding social media. We hope to clarify any misunderstandings that have arisen due to certain external reports."
News source: Hong Kong 01