New efforts to rescue digital TV licensees

[rooster59]

New efforts to rescue digital TV licensees

By WICHIT CHAITRONG 
THE NATION

 

 

NBTC TO SEND ANOTHER PROPOSAL TO WISSANU AFTER PM REFUSES TO USE HIS SPECIAL POWERS

 

THE National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has vowed to push forward a rescue package to help lift the financial burden on digital television licence holders. This follows the refusal on Tuesday by General Prayut Chan-o-cha, in his capacity as leader of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), to use his special powers under Article 44 of the interim constitution to help the embattled broadcasters.

 

“The NBTC’s priority is to solve the problem of digital TV,” Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the NBTC, said yesterday at a forum at Thai PBS headquarters on how the local press can survive in the digital era.

 

He said that the NBTC would take a proposal back to Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, who is chairman of a committee responsible for the issue, next week. It would then be up to Wissanu whether he takes the proposal to Prayut.

 

Takorn said he was confident that the proposal to assist the licence holders was in the best interests of the country. However, Prayut has said he wants the NBTC to explain how the public would benefit. 

 

Critics objected to a previous rescue package presented to Prayut, which also included financial relief for telecoms operators. The proposal to assist digital TV broadcasters includes a three-year debt moratorium on unpaid licence fees and 50 per cent reduction in ground network fees for 24 months.

 

Takorn said he actually did not want Prayut to invoke Article 44; he wanted the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to make a change to the NBTC law to allow the resale of digital TV licences. This would permanently solve the issue. The proposed amendment to the NBTC law is pending NLA scrutiny. 

 

He said TV broadcasters had already paid licence fees of Bt34 billion, or 68 per cent of the total cost. New investors might be willing to shoulder the remaining cost of 32 per cent if licences could change hands without legal constraint. New investors may think it a good investment, as the remaining digital TV concession period of 11 years is an incentive. 

 

 The current law allows the entry of new shareholders to a company that has a digital TV licence, but does not allow licences to change hands between firms.

 

Takorn also said the NBTC wants to change the way of bidding on digital TV licences or mobile phone spectrum, as the previous system relied too much on pricing, with the highest bidder always winning the licence. The new bidding procedure should rely on other factors such as best interests of the public.

 

“It should be a hybrid bidding system taking into account pricing and public interest,” Takorn said, noting that many countries had adopted this approach. 

 

Meanwhile, Triruj Navamarat, president of the Media Agency Association of Thailand, said at the same forum that advertising spending is expected to grow 4 per cent this year.

 

Last year’s total advertising spending was Bt101 billion and, of this, half was spent on TV ads. Among digital TV broadcasters, channel 3 and channel 7 received about 70-80 per cent of the TV ads spending. Triruj suggested that those TV broadcasters who were not among the top 10 might need to improve their marketing. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30342185

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-04-01

[YetAnother]

4 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Takorn said he was confident that the proposal to assist the licence holders was in the best interests of the country.

how does that follow ? instead of fixing the bad road in front of my house, my tax money goes to bailing out incompetent businessmen ?

[Samui Bodoh]

29 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

THE National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has vowed to push forward a rescue package to help lift the financial burden on digital television licence holders.

The rich idiots bid for the licences in a fair and open competition.

 

Why the hell should the government be bailing them out for their stupidity? If I buy something and it doesn't work out, no one refunds me cash. And BTW, when businesses get bailed out, how often do they return the bailout money?

 

It is called a free market. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Deal with it and stop whingeing to the government and the people that you deserve money back.

 

Boo-hoo

 

[johng]

Apart from paying way too much for their licences..the main gripe is the botched/slow roll out of digital transmitters a cumbersome coupon system for receiving equipment distribution
leading to lower than expected revenue for the broadcasters
So they are asking for a bit of leeway in paying the outstanding fees

[Anak Nakal]

Rich people want more a more government money.

Enough!

[pearciderman]

3 hours ago, YetAnother said:

how does that follow ? instead of fixing the bad road in front of my house, my tax money goes to bailing out incompetent businessmen ?

 

You don't work here, so what "tax money" are you on about?

[Lupatria]

How about restoring investigative journalism first?

[Redline]

More complaining and passing responsibility-when is it time to grow up?