Revolution Looms For Thai Digital Television

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Revolution looms for Thai digital television

Sirivish Toomgum

The Nation

NBTC expects more than 100 channels to be on air in the next five years

BANGKOK: -- The spectrum-management and broadcasting master plans will drastically change the landscape of the Thai television industry with up to 100 digital-TV channels being available for public viewing in the near future.

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission aims to grant digital terrestrial TV broadcasting licences late this year and expects to see the number of digital-TV channels grow to 100 within the next five years, NBTC broadcasting committee chairman Natee Sukonrat said yesterday.

About 50 licences are expected to be handed out in the first lot by early next year.

The move is in line with the NBTC draft of the spectrum-management master plan aiming to take radio and TV broadcasters to the digital era within four years after the master plan takes effect.

After a long delay plagued with disputes stemming from political and business motives, the NBTC came into full existence just a few months ago. Formed under a constitutional spirit that treats broadcast and telecom frequencies as national resources that are to be shared and must benefit all Thais equally, the NBTC apparently has hit the ground running with its digital-TV plan.

Natee told the Nation Multimedia Group yesterday that the watchdog was expected to trial the digital terrestrial TV broadcasting system in June in its attempt to educate viewers on a wider scale. Free-TV operators will be invited to conduct the test.

The NBTC digital-TV plan seems set to shake up the television-industry landscape as the operating costs of TV will significantly go down. The large number of new channels will draw a massive number of content providers to the long-monopolised playing field.

He added that digital broadcasting technology would enable the maximum use of TV broadcasting spectra and provide better service quality to viewers.

But the watchdog might not need to specify the technology platforms that the broadcasters should use for the trial.

The NBTC's draft of the broadcasting master plan determines that the watchdog will complete the details of this digital switch-over plan for TV broadcasting within one year and for radio broadcasting within two years, and will start digital radio and TV broadcasting within four years. It will also complete regulations on licensing of digital TV broadcasting within two years and for digital radio broadcasting within three years.

Natee said prospective digital-TV broadcasters should be encouraged to use a common infrastructure to create a cost-effective operation.

The watchdog will put the drafts of the spectrum, broadcasting and telecom master plans for nationwide hearing next Friday.

They are expected to become effective in March.

-- The Nation 2012-02-04

[Reasonableman]

A social revolution may be imminent... Reduced % of game shows, sport and nam nao (soaps)? A challenge to the existing cable tv monopoly?

Edited February 3, 2012 by Reasonableman

[ozzieman05]

why must Thailand go digital ????

Maybe no one wants to make the old tvs sets anymore

The world went digital a decade ago

[WhizBang]

Oh dear!

Thai TV in it's current form is rubbish, now imagine Thai TV with 100 more channels of even worse rubbish. The mind boggles.

I just got back from 2 months in the USA. There they have hundreds and hundreds of channels available. And barely any worth watching. american TV has deteriorated significantly in the past 10 years. Reality TV and shopping seem to top the list, followed by narrowcast channels aimed at specific groups.

I am talking about 'Free' TV, not the premium pay channels. Although the free tv is not really free either. And many premium pay channels just rerun the same old movies time and time again. Not really worth paying for, in my opinion.

I predict that the future of TV in Thailand is dismal.

[thaiIand]

what?

The us has showtime, hbo, AMC and a few other insanely good channels with premium tv shows

then add to that all the wildlife channels/health and food networks that have amazing content 24/7

[jeffcool]

So will we have a wide choice of "RED" and "YELLOW" digitalized propaganda soon????

Can't wait....

[sultan]

This would (or could) dovetail nicely with the supposed drive to learn english, if they were to provide a range of english-speaking channels for kids, news, natural history etc.

Unfortunately I can't really see that happening....

[CliffH]

Digital tv a revolution? No way. The only 'advantage' it offers over analogue is that more channels of rubbish can be squeezed into a given bandwidth. Radio going digital is even more absurd. All fm radios, including those built into phones, mp3 players and most vehicles, will stop working, and, if a similar system to that used in the UK is adopted, sound quality will be inferior to fm if you're listening on half decent audio equipment.

[Greenside]

Slicing the advertising revenue up into ever smaller pieces in homage to the God Of Consumer Choice is proven to be a disaster for quality programming and with the exception of community access and specialist information services I have yet to see where it benefits anyone other than the authorities selling the licenses. Almost no-one can afford the budget required to create quality programming without entering co-production agreements which all to often compromise the end result. The UK fell for the same con-trick years ago when greed and the GOCC gave us such memorable fare as "The Topless Darts Channel". Anyone who'd spent any time at all in the US could see the idea was destined to be a dismal failure (although the standard of most of the US pre-digital offerings was poor enough to make even Topless Darts an appealling altnerative).

Thailand's rock-bottom production standards, inconsistant censorship policies and highly questionable moral values which constantly depict extreme wealth and violence towards women as the norm are lamentable, and the idea of even more channels of sub-daytime programming is depressing in the extreme. They don't even appear to have enough competent technicians to record for the time they have to fill already - every time I have the misfortune to hear one of the daily "movie" soaps I have to wonder if they train sound technicians here or do they just co-opt some guy from the local karaoke to hike the gain to 11 and engage some auto levels device that brings up the background noise whenever a character pauses to take a breath?

Edited February 4, 2012 by Greenside

[w11guy]

Oh dear!

Thai TV in it's current form is rubbish, now imagine Thai TV with 100 more channels of even worse rubbish. The mind boggles.

I just got back from 2 months in the USA. There they have hundreds and hundreds of channels available. And barely any worth watching. american TV has deteriorated significantly in the past 10 years. Reality TV and shopping seem to top the list, followed by narrowcast channels aimed at specific groups.

I am talking about 'Free' TV, not the premium pay channels. Although the free tv is not really free either. And many premium pay channels just rerun the same old movies time and time again. Not really worth paying for, in my opinion.

I predict that the future of TV in Thailand is dismal.

Watching TV isn't compulsory. If you don't like it, don't watch it. Plenty of other things to do.

[trainman34014]

This would (or could) dovetail nicely with the supposed drive to learn english, if they were to provide a range of english-speaking channels for kids, news, natural history etc.

Unfortunately I can't really see that happening....

Wake up ! If you put 100 channels on Thai TV; 98 of them in English and 2 in Thai, which channels do you think the Thai's will be watching?

[LivinLOS]

Ahh yes.. Spread the current quality programming over 100 channels filling the rest with even worse, even cheaper programming..

Someone better put in a large order for slide whistles and the 'BOING' gong for when the midget falls over.

[robertson468]

Unfortunately, this does not say if this will take away the monopoly for sattelite TV from True Vision. Anyone any ideas?

[rotary]

Anything competition to Un-TrueVisions is welcome believe me.

[mayday49]

With all being said, Consider this; If the stable of of new digital offerings were to consist of 40% purely Educational channels aimed at boosting the inteligence of anyone that wanted the Knowledge..... Yeah I know duck ..here come the slings and arrows from The Crustys and malcontents........When is Thailand going to get an Astronaut to the space Station?

[Gianni77]

Next year? Hahahaha... they need to check the definition for "revolution", if it happened ,long ago, everywhere but here, not sure you can call it revolution... or maybe the Thai word translated makes more sense... hehehe

[daiwill60]

This would (or could) dovetail nicely with the supposed drive to learn english, if they were to provide a range of english-speaking channels for kids, news, natural history etc.

Unfortunately I can't really see that happening....

If they really do want to push the English for the purpose of ASEAN membership, then you are absolutely correct in the fact that better, easier access to programs in English is a must and would be of great benefit. I have a student in school whose parents had the vision to encourage him to watch many english spoken tv programs when he was a little kid , and he now wins english speaking competitions regularly.

From a personal point of view, I am surprised that nobody in Thailand has had the vision to launch an TV cannel tat carries spoken english programs such as news, docummentaries,drama series and advertising. Surely there must be enough foreigners in Thailand to make this commercially appealing to advertisers and tv companies.

[Jaivin2011]

What rubbish.....Digital Terrestrial TV is "Passe". the new trend now is internet tv that is free from any govt control plus very soon, there are new internet formats available whereby you do not even have to go thru local ips ie the system is soon to be available in India and Singapore and even though u are in bangkok, you can subscribe thur the satellite based internet provider.

Things and technology is ever so changing but the Thai so called Specilists and Govt are eons backward.

[Estrada]

Hang on a minute! So they aim for 100 channels within 5 years. Since we already have 118 channels from True Visions and they have just added BBC Entertainment, BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle, and CBeebies what channels are they going to chop? It just goes to show how out of touch they are. With a larger trackable dish and receiver over 1200 channels are available. Still TV in Thailand has come a long way since 1994 when the only English language movie on TV could be watched once a week by listening to the English language sound track on the Army FM radio broadcast. Only problem was that often they would have no qualms in changing the radio broadcast from the English Language Sound Track to Thai Boxing Commentary from Lumpini Stadium! Not much fun when you were about to find out who done it in a detective movie.

Edited February 4, 2012 by Estrada

[Estrada]

This would (or could) dovetail nicely with the supposed drive to learn english, if they were to provide a range of english-speaking channels for kids, news, natural history etc.

Unfortunately I can't really see that happening....

If they really do want to push the English for the purpose of ASEAN membership, then you are absolutely correct in the fact that better, easier access to programs in English is a must and would be of great benefit. I have a student in school whose parents had the vision to encourage him to watch many english spoken tv programs when he was a little kid , and he now wins english speaking competitions regularly.

From a personal point of view, I am surprised that nobody in Thailand has had the vision to launch an TV cannel tat carries spoken english programs such as news, docummentaries,drama series and advertising. Surely there must be enough foreigners in Thailand to make this commercially appealing to advertisers and tv companies.

They already have Thai TV news channels in English. In addition there are plenty of dual language movie, drama and documentary channels

[mosquitobill]

I moved from England 8ys ago because the goverment does not give a shit if you are British and bring back Guy Fawkes but British TV is the best in the world

[belg]

just buy a PSI satellite... there you already have 100+ thai speaking rubbish channels... i use only one BVN ... but that is because i want to have a slice of Dutch in this part of the world

555

[themanbkk]

TV programs are mostly garbages anyways and this is anywhere in the world. not only thailand. 95 % of programing is brainless entertainment. I prefer the internet so i can choose want i want to see.

[softgeorge]

why must Thailand go digital ????

Maybe no one wants to make the old tvs sets anymore

The world went digital a decade ago

except Australia it is only just being rolled out now. Not all areas are digital yet.

Can the average Thai's all afford to go out and buy new T.V's or desktop boxes? If they can't then they will not have television or are they going to operate both systems

[ThaiSold]

Awesome! More channels!

I just love watching Thai shows that show men with multiple partners, and how if your really rich you can do whatever you want. I love the Thai soaps, it brain washes women to be ok with men who have multiple wives and encourages them to accept it. The more they can push that down the throats of Thai people the better.

For those who think that the Thai shows are brainwashing the citizens of Thai people no problem, cut the TV off and encourage Thai's to read more, like some of the great Thai literature available which is also full of men who have multiple wives and lovers and those with power can do whatever they want.

So either way Thailand will continue to be a adultery loving nation and with or without digital TV nothing will change.

[Tanaka]

It was stated be a brilliant participant above, "WHO cares about American TV?"

ANSWER: Intellegent, educated people world-wide.... like Americans!

Is this an oxymoron?

[KamalaDreamer]

I moved from England 8ys ago because the goverment does not give a shit if you are British and bring back Guy Fawkes but British TV is the best in the world

Absolutely agree on all these points.

Hi Def, multichannel, multinational TV will come to Thailand eventually. Who cares if it takes a long time. You can only watch one channel at a time. And if you get bored you can always take a break and just look at the girlfriend cooking dinner or getting on the motor bike when she doesn't know you are looking.

[Ricardo]

Hope that the government uses one of these new channels for an Education/Open-University/Open-Learning role, which is desperately-needed IMO, but perhaps all available funds have already been allocated to studies on introducing lap-top computers for younger students ?

One must remain optimistic and hope for something which might help the poor/less-well-educated improve their lives.

One might also wonder, why was this announcement (of digital TV) not made by MP-Jatuporn, the acknowledged expert in upcoming Thai revolutions ?

[pattayadingo]

The Thai censors will have to work ever harder to censor all those breasts, cigarette and other shots they do not like you to see. Great bonus for them

[ozzieman05]

why must Thailand go digital ????

Maybe no one wants to make the old tvs sets anymore

The world went digital a decade ago

except Australia it is only just being rolled out now. Not all areas are digital yet.

Can the average Thai's all afford to go out and buy new T.V's or desktop boxes? If they can't then they will not have television or are they going to operate both systems

Don't be silly

The Thai government will provide free desktop converters like Gillard is doing

Government will buy for 450 baht and charge the tax payer 1500 baht

Like in Oz you can buy at 1/4 the price at a discount store, but then Thai MP make no tea money