8 public digital TV licences to be granted for new players: Thai broadcasting regulator 

In June, only eight licences for 12 public digital TV channels will be granted to potential bidders in a "beauty contest", while the remainder will be reserved for the existing analog broadcasters to run their TV programmes during a simulcast period, according to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.



Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the NBTC's broadcasting committee, said yesterday that the beauty contest for the eight public digital TV channels, scheduled to begin in June, would be earmarked for new players. 

"The broadcasting panel is working on the required specifications of potential bidders, conditions and essential details for this unique kind of bid," Natee said.

He added that after those details were complete, the NBTC would announce public participation before the beauty contest begins. The validity term for the eight new licences for public TV channels is four years. 

He explained that another four spectrum slots would be reserved for the Royal Thai Army's TV5, the Public Relations Department's Channel 11 and the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) with the remaining two channels.

Natee stressed that during the simulcast period, the broadcasting regulator must allow existing TV broadcasters to air their analog programmes through digital signals. 

Under the International Telecom-munication Union (ITU), a common method for international broadcasting and telecommunication regulators to ensure that television viewers without set-top boxes are not deprived of services is to have analog and digital broadcasting in tandem for the simulcast period. 

Under such guidelines, TV5, Channel 11 and Thai PBS must pay network leasing fees to transmit their analog programmes via digital signals. The simulcast period will end when the NBTC orders those state agencies to switch their analog services off. 

Additionally, according to the broadcasting master plan (2012-16), the NBTC must determine an exact time frame for the state agencies, state enterprises and other state units or persons who are currently assigned frequencies to return them for future operations, as specified in the spectrum management master plan, within two years. 

Natee added that his panel expected to set the exact time frame for TV5 and Channel 11 by the end of next month, while Thai PBS had signed a memorandum of understanding to return its holding spectrum within the next three years to the NBTC for reallocation. Under this MoU, the NBTC must, in return, allocate two spectrum slots for Thai PBS's public TV channels. 


However, on Sunday civil-society groups, journalist associations and academics called for the postponement of this process, particularly to allow TV5 and Channel 11 to run their analog programmes over the digital TV platform, because they believed it would breach the spirit of media reform. They also suggested that the NBTC should allow relevant parties to engage in the process before the beauty contest began.

Rewrited from The Nation newspaper 
April 2, 2013

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/NBTC-reveals-plans-for-public-TV-licensing-30203180.html

MyCommentary....

Countdown to digital TV in Thailand

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission or NBTC which acts as the telecom and broadcasting regulator in Thailand is pushing the conversion from analog to digital terrestrial TV broadcasting in the kingdom, expected to be taken place by end of this year or early next year.

The questions on public participation and accountability were raised among opinion leaders in Bangkok. They express their concern that five commissioners in broadcasting committee will use their absolute power to select inappropriate ones to run new 12 digital public TV channels.


Under the NBTC's broadcasting master plan, of total 48 new digital terrestrial TV channels, it reserves 12 digital TV channels for public service, 24 for commercial TV and the remainder for community-based service. The watchdog aims to reset this Bt70-billion broadcasting industry after granting all 48 digital TV licences by next year. Adding more details on this effort, the NBTC wants to open more door for new potential players coming to this industry which had been dominated by big analog TV operators, BEC's Channel3, Royal Army's TV5, MCOT's Modernine TV and the Public Relation Department (PRD)'s Channel 11 for more than 40 years. 

Royal Army's TV5 aims to

have a licence to run public TV

for national security purpose.

Find more  at www.tv5.co.th

Entering into digital terrestrial TV era, both existing TV broadcasters and new players must acknowledge together that they will run their business under licencing-base regime. 

Currently operating Channel 11 or NBT, 

the PRDalso wants to obtain a licence

 for government and public relation 

channel in digital TV platform

Find more at http://nbttv.prd.go.th/

Before grabbing a licence for public TV channel, each operator must prove itself that its mission and responsibility truly reflects real public interest via a beauty contest judged by the NBTC.  

Ironically, only five commissioners at the NBTC's broadcasting committee will be big guys to decide whom those licences to be granted for. 

Bangkok Entertainment Co. (BEC)

also wishes to join a spectrum

 bid for commercial TV licence. 

Find more at www.thaitv3.com

Civil society groups call for participation into this process for transparency and accountability but no response from the watchdog.



In a part of commercial digital TV section, the watchdog sets to welcome potential TV broadcasters into this TV category through spectrum auction, which is expected to kick off in the last quarter of this year (2013). But details of specification of bidder, starting bid prices and related conditions have not been completed yet. 

Bangkok Broadcasting and TV, 

the country's most popular TV channel

credited by Nielsen media research,

targets to win a licence of variety HD channel.

Find more at www.ch7.com  

Of 24 commercial digital TV channels, there are 7 variety TV in high-definition service; 7 variety TV in standard-definition; 7 news channels and 3 for kid's channels. 

Formerly known as Channel9, 

Modernine TV expects to grab 3 licence

 of variety, news and 

kid's channels. Find more at www.mcot.net 

Digital TV channel for community-based service will be the last category that the NBTC will make it happened. Thai people may see this kind of TV channels in next year. 


Given more advanced technology, more choices to be watched, digital TV broadcasting is expected to bring more benefits to all in the kingdom, I guess. 






------------------
Additional information:

Find more details about 

the first public TV channel

in the Thailand at www.thaipbs.or.th 

Thai Public Broadcasting Service, Thailand's first public TV broadcaster, also will have two licences of public TV channels, including Thai PBS channel for variety programme and Thai PBS Learning Channel for kid's and family channel. 

Mobile users drive strong growth of Indonesian online news portals

Similarly to Thailand, the newspaper business in Indonesia faces stagnation while online news portals like Vivanews.com enjoy healthy growth as they cash in on increasing penetration of mobile Internet users.

"Because an online newspaper needs different strategies to build advertisers' confidence, it should not be treated as a bonus to mainstream media," said Karaniya Dharmasaputra, founder and chief executive officer of Viva Media Baru, the operator of Vivanews.com. He was speaking to members of the Thai press during their visit last week to leading publications in Jakarta.

The media visit was part of a knowledge-enhancement programme for Thai journalists on reporting news related to the Asean Economic Community. It was organised by the Thai Journalists Association in association with Charoen Pokphand (CP), Thailand's largest agriculturally based conglomerate.

Dharmasaputra said his company had separated its sales team from the parent company, which operates a television station and print media, so that it was able to work closely with clients to create and design specific marketing channels such as multimedia ads and advertorials on websites or even on-the-ground activities.

Karaniya Dharmasaputra 

It is estimated that there are at least 55 million Internet users among Indonesia's population of more than 200 million. Dharmasaputra said 38 per cent of that number were mobile Internet users.

"Though 90 per cent of total income comes from advertisements, reader-centric content remains our strong selling point at Vivanews," Dharmasaputra stressed. The most popular categories are involved with constructive news such as science, technology and business.
He added that his company's 176 employees produced 300 to 350 news items daily for its website, on which 1.8 million users logged on per day.

He said he witnessed a significant increase in digital migrants since 2010 after he started Vivanews.

Though ad spending via the Internet remains low at 7 per cent of the total industry, the annual growth rate is strong - for example, a 70-per-cent year-on-year rise in 2010 and about 40-50 per cent last year as well as so far this year.

Likewise, though it has not yet reached its break-even point, the company says it is now satisfied with its financial performance, having already covered the monthly operating costs it its third year of operation.

After a US$300,000 (Bt9.4 million) initial investment to develop the site, the company can offer broader services, namely Vivanews, Vivabola, Vivalife, Vivalog, Vivaforum and Vivasocio to expand its reader base, said Ady Pangerang, director for information technology, research and development.

Pangerang said the company planned to offer more services on its portal site in the near future to attract younger readers. such as an e-commerce service. It is also co-producing TV and radio programmes for local broadcasters.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's newspaper business is facing stagnant growth in readership and advertising revenue.

Rikard Bagun, chief editor of Kompas, the largest daily paper in Indonesia, said that of total advertising volume, 60 per cent remained in TV and 13 per cent in newspapers.

Rikard Bagun, chief editor of Kompas

"As advertising contributes 80 per cent of our revenue, we must integrate our content with other media outlets in the group, including Kompas TV, partnered satellite TV channels, radio stations and its website," Bagun said.








WATCHIRANONT THONGTEP
THE NATION
Jakarta August 15, 2012 1:00 am
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Mobile-users-drive-strong-growth-of-Indonesian-onl-30188316.html

Major Cineplex unit expects cinema advertising to take no 2 spot next year

Major Cineplex, the country's largest cinema chain

Major CineAd, a cinema advertising provider that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Major Cineplex Group, is optimistic that adverting expenditure via movie screens will become the second-biggest in the industry, ahead of newspapers, because of the expansion of cinemas in the provinces and big blockbusters coming in summer 2013.


Major Cineplex, the country's largest cinema chain, plans to establish 40-50 new cinemas next year, mainly in provinces such as Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Chiang Mai. Currently, the group has more than 400 screens in 54 locations across the country with different brands, namely Major Cineplex, EGV Cinemas, Paragon Cineplex, Paradise Cineplex, Esplanade Cineplex and Mega Cineplex.

www.majorcineplex.com

Movie-goers will also enjoy a number of blockbusters lining up for the summer next year, namely "Oblivion", "Iron Man 3", "Star Trek 2", "Fast & Furious 6", "Hangover Part 3", "The Lone Ranger" and "Thor 2". There will also be several attractive locally made films.


A recent media survey by Nielsen Thailand found that advertising via cinemas in the Kingdom in first half jumped by 63.25 per cent year on year to Bt5.44 billion from Bt3.33 billion in 2011. Spending via this medium in the same period was ranked as the third-highest in the industry, followed by via television with Bt32.98 billion and newspapers with Bt7.46 billion.


"Given these factors, we believe that ad spending via cinemas will possibly become the second-biggest next year," Niti Pattanapakdee, general manager at Major CineAd, said yesterday.


He explained that newspapers were moving into digital services to cash in on younger readers as well as new revenue sources while spending via newspapers seemed to be slowing.


He added that Major Cineplex's ad earnings currently accounted for 70-80 per cent of overall cinema ad spending. This year the firm expects to see advertising revenue increase by about 10-15 per cent from Bt766 million last year. This accounted for 14 per cent of the group's revenue.


To attract more spending from advertisers, Major CineAd offers a Live Ad service, providing total marketing activities such as performance shows while screening the client's ad in the cinema. Meanwhile the company also focuses on new clients upcountry. Currently its ad earnings from upcountry cinemas accounts for 30 per cent of total ad income. By next year, it is projected to be 40 per cent.


WATCHIRANONT THONGTEP
THE NATION July 25, 2012 1:00 am

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Major-Cineplex-unit-expects-cinema-advertising-to--30186911.html

In West and China, Thai entertainment firms see an opportunity

Dr.Tan Jirayuth Chusanachoti ,CEO at Shellhut Entertainment

Due to the global economic slowdown, Western production companies are eyeing Asia for new ideas to introduce to their viewers. In response, local content producers are focusing on exporting their content to these high-potential markets.




Jirayuth Chusanachoti, chief executive officer at Thai-owned 3D-animation producer Shellhut Entertainment  (www.shellhutentertainment.com), told The Nation that over the past couple years, the media and entertainment industry in the West has been affected by the economic slowdown, so some of them have moved their production bases to Asia. China, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea are particularly popular destinations.


In China, Western production houses are interested in co-production with local production companies as they want to air their programmes in prime-time slots in local media outlets.


Likewise, Pramote Chokesirikul-chai, president of Thai Digital Enter-tainment Content Federation or TDEC (www.tdecthai.com), said that though the Chinese government welcomed investment from Western countries, particularly in the US, media content - so-called cultural content - must be controlled by the state.


China seeks a good balance of cultural content from overseas; for example, it has increased time slots for Japanese and South Korean TV content to balance Western shows. But once J-Pop and K-Pop gained popularity among Chinese viewers, Beijing eyed the Asean market to re-balance things, Pramote said.


"This is also a huge opportunity for Thai TV drama series to export to China," said the TDEC president.


A media industry observer said that BEC's ThaiTV3, as well as BBTV Channel 7 and GMM Grammy had already stuck more than 10 deals with broadcasters to sell their TV drama series in China.


Apart from TV drama series, Workpoint Entertainment, the country's leading game-show and TV-programme production house, is focusing on exporting its key television formats as production companies in Western countries, mainly the United States, are seeking new ideas to introduce to their viewers.


Chalakorn Panyashom, vice president for creative marketing, said his company had surveyed overseas demand since last year by attending key international TV content trade shows where representatives and executives from global media agencies, production houses and programme traders and distributors gathered.


The company offers two kinds of in house-designed TV formats - game shows and TV dramas - to both international media agencies and production houses. Key game shows are "Fan Pan Thae", "Luang Lab Tab Taek", "Kon Aud Pee" and "Chomrom Kon Hua Look".


It was recently reported that Octagon Entertainment Productions and Los Angeles-based Smoke & Mirrors Creative plan to introduce "Fan Pan Thae" to the US audience under the working title "Obsessed".


In the case of the "Fan Pan Thae" deal, production firms in the US were looking for something different from what had been offered there, so TV formats in Asia such as in Japan, South Korea and Thailand became their targets.


WATCHIRANONT THONGTEP
THE NATION July 23, 2012 1:00 am

Broadcast licence fee set at 4% of revenue: Thailand's NBTC

The TV broadcasting licence fee has been set at 4 per cent of the licence holder's annual gross revenue, Natee Sukonrat, vice chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), said.


According to the draft regulations for broadcasting licensing approved by NBTC's board yesterday, of the total fee, 2 per cent will be for the licence itself and the other 2 per cent will be apportioned for the commission's research and development fund for broadcasting.


The draft covers three types of licences - broadcasting network provider, broadcasting facility provider, and broadcasting service provider - all covering terrestrial digital TV service to cable and satellite TV service. This approval will pave the way for NBTC to launch the broadcasting licences by October. It will soon hold a public hearing on the draft.


The board also approved the regulations for a trial of digital TV service in Thailand, which is expected to be published in the Royal Gazette next week. It will allow all interested TV operators to request to conduct the trial, which is expected to take place around October.


The board also approved holding more public hearings on the "must carry" draft regulation, which is expected to be published in the Royal Gazette before July 27, when the Summer Olympic Games begin.


The regulation will allow viewers to see free-TV channels on any platform, from satellite to cable and terrestrial digital TV.


USANEE MONGKOLPORN
THE NATION
July 19, 2012 1:00 am

Thailand-based Workpoint looks to export TV shows

Thailand-based Workpoint Entertainment, the country's leading game-show and TV-programme production house, is focusing on exporting its key television formats as production companies in Western countries, mainly the United States, are seeking new ideas to introduce to their viewers.


Chalakorn Panyashom, vice president for creative marketing, yesterday told The Nation that his company had surveyed overseas demand since last year by attending key international TV content trade shows where representatives and executives from global media agencies, production houses, and programme traders and distributors gathered.


The company offers two kinds of in house-designed TV formats - game shows and TV dramas - to both international media agencies and production houses. Key game shows are "Fan Pan Thae", "Luang Lab Tab Taek", "Kon Aud Pee" and "Chomrom Kon Hua Look".


In the case of the "Fan Pan Thae" deal, production firms in the US were looking for something different from what had been offered there, so TV formats in Asia such as in Japan, South Korea and Thailand became their targets.


"Fan Pan Thae" offers special mechanics, which is a term describing copyrighted format in TV shows such as the contestant must answer a question in three minutes after seeing a picture, or guess who or what is behind the puzzles. Production companies can attract sponsors and advertisers by using topics related to their goods and products in the show.


Although Workpoint Entertain-ment cannot disclose the value of the deal for "Fan Pan Thae", normally the company quotes US$1,000-$10,000 (up to Bt316,000) per episode. The consultant fee is excluded. The client company also buys an average of 13 episodes per deal.


"Though the overseas market for exporting local formats seems to be difficult, there is more challenge and room to grow," he said.


Government bodies should lead and support local content producers to join international trade fairs or help conduct roadshows to high-potential markets like the US and Europe, Chalakorn said.


Octagon Entertainment Prod-uctions and Los Angeles-based Smoke & Mirrors Creative reportedly are introducing "Fan Pan Thae" to the US audience under the working title "Obsessed".


"With over 450 episodes already produced for the international market, we know that this draws on a broad array of topics, information and challenges with proven success in attracting a broad audience with richly diverse contestants," David Stanley, head of Octagon's new production division.


Darryl Trell and Howard Kitrosser of Smoke & Mirrors, said: "We have several interested buyers and are recruiting contestants and potential hosts for a pilot."


"Fan Pan Thae" builds much of its fame from the innovative concept. Each week unique characters, all with a shared obsession, are given impossible questions and inconceivable tasks. Using one of their five senses, they will rely on their ability to recognise pictures, solve puzzles and identify mystery objects as they compete for the prize if they can prove they really are the ultimate "hardcore fan" of everything from motorcycles to Barbie dolls in areas as diverse as sports, music, history, literature, science, geography and pop culture.




WATCHIRANONT THONGTEP
THE NATION July 19, 2012 1:00 am