Digital TV operators are in scorching water as they face a raft of business troubles and the looming expiry of their licences in 2029. The sector is grappling with quickly altering viewer habits, a surge in streaming companies, and nagging worries about dwindling viewership figures.
Again in 2013, the Nationwide Broadcasting and Telecommunications Fee (NBTC) auctioned off 24 digital TV licences. Now, the Affiliation of Digital Tv Broadcasting (ADTEB) is pushing arduous for these licences to be prolonged past their 2029 deadline.
ADTEB President Suphap Kleekajai blasted the present five-year extension interval as insufficient. He’s calling for a shift away from pricey auctions and is championing a “magnificence contest” strategy for future licence allocation.
“We wish the time period of digital TV licences to be prolonged past 2029, or have various strategies for the allocation of latest working licences. The licences should now not be auctioned at excessive costs.”
The digital TV sector has seen a decline in advert spending and doubts in regards to the accuracy of viewership metrics. The NBTC’s 2013 public sale imposed a mixed monetary burden of fifty billion baht on operators, main some to stop operations. A research from Chulalongkorn College means that the suitable whole for the mixed successful bids ought to be 13 billion baht for the 24 digital TV licences.
Suphap additionally highlighted the influence of the deliberate frequency reallocation, because the 3500 to 3800-megahertz vary is at present utilized by many satellite tv for pc TV stations.
“Round 60% of the Thai viewers views digital TV channels through a satellite tv for pc platform.”
Regulated content material
NBTC Chairman Dr Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck acknowledged the necessity to rethink the public sale of the 3500MHz vary.
The digital TV sector is essential because it affords regulated content material, not like different platforms. Takonkiet Viravan, group chairman of The One Enterprise Plc, emphasised the significance of digital TV channels within the audiovisual sector.
“The difficulty is how can content material be effectively aired through each terrestrial TV and streaming platforms.”
NBTC commissioner Pirongrong Ramasoota, answerable for the TV enterprise, admitted it’s too early to foretell the way forward for digital TV operators post-2029. She famous that digital TV in Thailand has distinctive challenges, requiring cross-platform rankings that extra precisely replicate viewership.
In response to a Nielsen Co., survey, TV stays a well-liked medium in 2024, with 57% of respondents watching TV. Nonetheless, the proportion of respondents watching TV offline has decreased from 63% in 2023 to 53% in 2024, whereas the usage of streaming companies has risen to 47%.
Pirongrong talked about that solely 5 digital TV channels may survive post-2029, probably working through high-definition and 4K broadcasting platforms. The NBTC is engaged on establishing a “nationwide streaming platform” to consolidate all digital TV content material at present supplied through streaming. This platform goals to ease uncertainty within the sector and supply correct viewership rankings.
The NBTC has engaged SCF Associates to check the altering nature of the nation’s audiovisual market and suggest regulatory suggestions. SCF’s research emphasises the necessity for content material regulation steadiness between over-the-top (OTT) and linear broadcasters, and the significance of public service channels for the poorest in society. The NBTC plans to contemplate these suggestions because it develops the business’s regulatory framework.
As digital TV operators navigate these challenges, the sector’s future will depend upon regulatory readability, modern options for licence allocation, and the flexibility to adapt to evolving shopper preferences.
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