Thailand Cable TV Association begins a new era for the Thai cable TV industry. It’ll set up business plan to protect 250 members after the new Broadcasting Act’s been enforced. It’ll also urge members to inject more contents into the market to stop intellectual property violations.
Mr. Wichit Aurareevorakul, Vice President of Thailand Cable TV Association, disclosed that after Thailand’s new Radio and Television Broadcasting Business Act of 2008 went into forced on March 4, 2008, there was a massive movement in the cable TV industry, including local cable TV operators who had potential to expand their business and investment, and Thai content producers. Accordingly, a large number of new content producers would enter into the industry. Some of them included Sahamongkolfilm, Life MV, Sun Movies, Media of Medias and GMM Grammy. Now, there were around 60 content programs available in the market, which were expected to 100 within next year. Furthermore, cable TV channels would be expected to increase to 150 from 80 current ones.
The association’s important missions that are now being undertaken include following up the movements and cooperation, building the right understandings and providing useful information regarding cable TV business operations to the government sector. These will be a key to help draft supporting rules that must be in line with the main Act. The association also takes responsibility for promoting content creations to increase in the market so that its member will not violate other producers’ intellectual property rights.
“Most importantly, we will strengthen our members. We will work as the middle man who not only controls the advantageous neatness and clearness of the signals transmitted to cable TV members, but also overseas subscriber fees or service fees that have to be fair to customers. We will also encourage our cable TV media to create more regional contents, such as news or any movements that happens in local areas. This aims to send communications from local to central. We believe that such contents, besides being local operators’ strong point, will also be a selling point to customers who need useful information or want to see what is happening in their local areas. In addition, they will play a key role in all PR and image developments for small and medium enterprises or SMEs who have no power in purchasing free-TV commercials.”
The association currently has a total of 250 member entrepreneurs, accounting for approximately 500 service centers. It has a plan to help strengthen its members in running business, supporting free trade competition and market penetration from other countries that are likely to invest in Thailand in the next 2 years. In addition, it is in a hurry to set up a seminar to build a better understanding of mergers among its provincial members, which aims to reduce service providers into 1-2 operators in each province. Recently, there was a merger among operators in Prachubkhirikhan and Petchburi provinces, reducing from 6 centers into 1. It also has a plan to travel across the country to supply this information to all the members in the South, North, Northeast and central region respectively.
Mr. Wichit added that the association would exhibit a booth at Media Asia Expo’08, which would be held between September 25, and 28, 2008. Such booth would be used as a communications channel to transmit information to those interested, including government sector, advertising agencies, hotel business proprietors, real estate firms and general public. In addition, a simulation in operating cable TV business would be conducted, plus collecting a list of content service providers and details of local cable services in each area throughout Thailand. The booth exhibition would be tape-recorded to broadcast in local cable TVs nationwide so that viewers and business entrepreneurs would witness the new cable TV image.
By participating in this event, the association has a purpose to build a better understanding and new image of Thailand’s cable TV business that has a good and interesting aspect. It also expects cable TV household viewers throughout Thailand will increase to 10 million from 2.5 million within a period of 5 years.
Media Asia Expo’08, staged in conjunction with Sign Asia Expo’08, will start from September 25 to 28, 2008, 8.00 – 20.00 hrs. at Hall 2-3, Impact, Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, Thailand. For more information, please visit www.mediaasiaexpo.com.
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