The 10th annual Audience Choice Television Awards has revealed its hotly anticipated final nominations, underscoring the fierce competitive spirit between Hong Kong’s two major broadcasters, TVB and ViuTV. Organizers announced the top five finalists across all major categories today, confirming that the entire slate of prospective winners—including Best Drama, Best Actor, and Best Actress—stems exclusively from productions aired by the two rival networks.
The current stage of competition involves round-the-clock public voting, which will ultimately determine the eventual champions of the 2025 awards cycle. The disclosed shortlists confirm a stark delineation of talent hailing solely from Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) and ViuTV, signaling a high-stakes, network-versus-network battle for audience approval.
Leading the Pack in Major Categories
The coveted Audience Choice Best Drama category features a compelling mix of established hits and rising contenders. TVB secured one pivotal spot with the sequel to its massive hit newsroom series, The Queen of News 2. ViuTV, however, claimed the remaining four nominations, showcasing the network’s diverse range of programming with series like The Bartender, The Day We Become Famous, Oops! I Need To Go Exorcism, and Bright Pawn Shop.
The races for leading acting awards are equally competitive, pitting veteran performers against popular new faces.
In the Audience Choice Best Actor category, the five finalists are:
- Law Yi-ming, nominated for his performance in The Golden Forest.
- Stanley Yau and Alton Wong, both recognized for their roles in The Bartender.
- Edan Lui for the drama Bright Pawn Shop.
- Strong Johnny (Chan Kit-yung) for the comedy-horror series Oops! I Need To Go Exorcism.
The Audience Choice Best Actress list highlights standout female performances across various genres. The finalists include TVB heavyweights Charmaine Sheh and Selena Lee (both for The Queen of News 2), and Jessica Hsuan (for Beyond the Tower). Representing ViuTV are Marf Yau (for The Day We Become Famous) and Lokyi Chan (for Oops! I Need To Go Exorcism).
Intense Supporting Roles Showdown
The breadth of talent extended deep into the supporting categories, confirming that the rivalry is not limited to the headlining stars.
The finalists for Audience Choice Best Supporting Actor include:
- Jackson Ho (The Queen of News 2).
- Alton Wong (Mummy of a Middle-aged Man).
- Himmy Wong (The Second Half of the Comeback).
- Tony Leung and Mak Pui-tung (both for The Day We Become Famous).
Perhaps the most notable entry in the Audience Choice Best Supporting Actress category belongs to veteran actress Gong Ci-en, who secured an impressive double nomination for her work in both The Queen of News 2 and The Golden Forest. She competes against three ViuTV actresses: Ashina Kwok (The Bartender), Tao Tang (The Day We Become Famous), and Gao (Mummy of a Middle-aged Man).
The Audience Choice Awards, driven entirely by public participation, provides a crucial barometer of popular sentiment toward original local programming. While TVB continues to rely on established franchises and star power, ViuTV demonstrates exceptional strength through a broader array of experimental and youth-appeal productions, setting the stage for a dramatic conclusion when the winners are revealed early next year. Public voting remains open, allowing viewers to shape the outcome of this significant anniversary milestone.
