Malaysian drama ‘Yi He’ pulled from Hong Kong broadcast due to licensing withdrawal

The Malaysian drama series ‘Yi He’, starring Ali Lee and Carson Lo, has been removed from its scheduled late-October prime-time slot on Hong Kong’s HOY 77 channel. HOY’s parent company issued a statement explaining that the broadcaster received sudden notification from the overseas distributor, Astro, to withdraw licensing rights just ten days before the planned premiere.

Lead actress Ali Lee expressed disappointment regarding the cancellation, noting that while she is saddened that the work will not reach the Hong Kong audience as intended, she remains focused on her professional duties. She addressed online speculation regarding potential contract disputes involving co-star Carson Lo, stating that she is unaware of the specific details and considers it a matter for management to resolve.

Due to the sudden change in programming, HOY will replace the series with a Japanese drama in the same time slot. While the series cannot air on HOY or local cable in Hong Kong, production representatives indicated they remain open to negotiating broadcasting rights with other platforms or regions.