True, C T H Battle For T V Top Spot

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True, CTH battle for TV top spot
Watchiranont Thongtep
The Nation



True boosts package options after losing EPL to CTH

BANGKOK: -- The battle for the Bt5-billion pay-TV market is heating up with the two major operators, TrueVisions and CTH, launching new strategies to woo more subscribers.

About 4.1 million households subscribed to cable-TV services last year, making up 20 per cent of the 22 million total households in Thailand, according to market research company Nielsen (Thailand).

TrueVisions, the current market leader, is turning its focus to the mass market, offering new affordable packages as a part of its key strategy to retain existing customers after losing the rights to broadcast English Premier League (EPL) football for the next three seasons.

CTH, formerly known as Cable Thai Holdings PLC, is spending over Bt200 million to introduce its new logo and brand image and a series of marketing campaigns throughout this year to build consumer confidence. CTH, the new national player, recently beat TrueVisions by snapping up the broadcasting rights of the EPL over the next three seasons.

The two major players held separate press events yesterday at Bangkok venues close to each other.

Apart from CTH, newcomers are eyeing a bigger share of this business, namely GMM Z and RS. This will intensify the fierce competition in the more-than Bt5.24-billion pay-TV market this year, according to the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA).

CASBAA is an industry-based advocacy group dedicated to the promotion of multi-channel TV via cable, satellite, broadband and wireless video networks across the Asia-Pacific region.

To emphasise this point, TrueVisions yesterday staged a mega-event, "Visions Ahead Magenta Night Party", to thank more than 1,000 business partners and other associates from around the world.

At the Bt20-million event, the company also launched two new packages: Super Knowledge, with 116 channels at Bt590 per month, and Super Sport with 95 channels at Bt495 per month.

Anat Mekpaiboonvatana, managing director of TrueVisions, said both packages would be gap-fillers, placed between the premium Platinum and Gold packages and the low-end Knowledge package. The Premium package price starts at Bt1,568 per month while the Knowledge package goes for Bt299 per month.

TrueVisions expected to lure a total of more than 100,000 new subscribers to each of the new packages.

"TrueVisions is always the king of content, namely movies, sports, knowledge and variety entertainment," Anat said.

Apart from quality contents, True Visions says that its competitive strength also comes from package, high-definition (HD) technology, service and special privileges.

Ong-ard Prapakamol, chief commercial officer of TrueVisions, said that in the second half of this year, the company allocated an extra marketing budget of Bt200 million on top of the regular marketing budget of Bt400 million. This extra budget will be used for marketing activities and promotions to attract new customers and to retain existing subscribers after the current season of the EPL comes to an end this month.

The company estimates its churn rate - a measure of subscriber loss - will see just a single-digit drop after the loss of the EPL. Currently, TrueVisions has about 2 million viewers. Of those, 800,000 are pay-subscribers and the remainder are free viewers.

CTH yesterday unveiled its new logo as part of its plan to create digital broadband services and related services such as home-shopping, market research and data services via its platform within the next two years. After that, the company plans to expanding its fibre-optic infrastructure network across the country, a project that should be completed in three years.

The advanced fibre-optic cable network will allow cable-TV operators to offer a wide range of services through cable lines, including Web-based services such as Internet protocol television (iPTV) on top of improved-definition programmes.

Under this development, the company aimed to generate Bt100 billion in revenue within the next two years, Kittsanan Ngampathipong, CTH chief executive officer, said yesterday

On June 21, CTH will launch its full service, providing 140 channels including 34 high-definition (HD) channels, to allow customers to watch 380 live EPL soccer matches during the new season.

"I believe that the content that CTH has on hand is the best choice for our target audience," the CEO said.

The services will be available via its 170 local cable-TV operators. In three years, the company expects to have 7 million subscribers, compared to 2.5 million this year.

Kittsanan added that his company would spend more than Bt200 million on marketing campaigns to promote its brand and packages.

The company is also investing more than Bt300 million in five studios for in-house TV production and broadcasting.

CTH became one of the country's major cable-TV operators after Wichai Thongtang, a former lawyer of ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, acquired a stake in the company in partnership with a Thai Rath executive.

Of CTH's shares, 30 per cent are owned by local cable TV operators, 25 per cent are Wichai's and 25 per cent are held by Vachara Vacharaphol, CEO of Trend VG3, a subsidiary of the company that publishes the Thai Rath daily newspaper. CTH said it welcomes new investors to hold the remaining stakes.

CTH secured audio and visual broadcasting rights of the EPL for territory in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos for three seasons from this year. This is considered "killer" sports content.


-- The Nation 2013-05-17

[Pib]

"TrueVisions is always the king of content, namely movies, sports, knowledge and variety entertainment," Anat said.

Must be a different TrueVisions from the one I'm subscribed to.

[jonclark]

I subscribe to neither, but just glad to see more competition between different companies which is good for the paying consumer as it provides more choice.

[Soupdragon]

It's just as well digital copies don't wear out, the number of times Truevisions repeat content it wouldn't be long before they were showing blanks screens.

[Pormax]

Good there is more competition however for those in the rural areas who cannot get cable then CTH is of no use.

I will miss the EPL.

Unfortunately not much choice for those like me who want to watch English programs so as I live in a rural village in Isaan so I am stuck with True.

[apetley]

TRUE should take a serious look at the 'bundles' of programs offered by the Malaysian sat provider ASTRO. With them you can buy addons of news, sports, movies, knowledge etc. Instead of paying a ripoff price for a huge number of channels you will never watch.

My ASTRO card provider went AWOL last august so if there is anyone reading who can put me in touch with a supplier I would be grateful as TRUE is getting ditched very soon.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I hadn't seen it before, but now CTH has a list -- in Thai -- on their website of all their different affiliate local cable operators... The list is divided into regions, with BKK first... The list can be Google translated with moderate success.

http://www.cth.co.th/lco_list/

I don't see Happy Home Cable on the list, which is our provider and serves a lot of areas in Central BKK...

[Thai at Heart]

Seems like Thaksin and his CTH buddies are giving CP a bit of the treatment that AIS got after the crash.

I will watch this quite closely, because normally CP only thrives when it has 50%+ market share and can jig the rules to keep any new players out of any business it does. They just don't know how to do "competition".

[belg]

so where is starworld ?

the ads on fox, telling to write to true will not help them to persuade them to pay their bills ?

new true ... what a laugh ...; starting by cutting channels most us farangs like to see and replace them with another crappy channel

[chainarong]

I'm not a big fan of the TV or for that matter FaceBook either, however I am happy with the content at True, although paying a higher price for an English mode selection shows me how worldly Thailand is and nothing is worse that watching Clint Eastwood or more to the point English speaking programs, waffling on in Thai.

[nbm47]

What's the big deal in no Starworld - full of garbage reality shows and chat shows, no real programming for about 6 years now. Please don't mention American Idol or anybody else's Idol cos its for old women to watch..........

[delgarcon]

Try this site for free sport. You need a good internet connection.

http://www.time4tv.com/2012/03/sky-sports-f1.html

[Thai at Heart]

Try this site for free sport. You need a good internet connection.

http://www.time4tv.com/2012/03/sky-sports-f1.html

Precisely. The days of paid satellite TV are on the wane.

[theoldgit]

True must (think they're) be doing something right, they announced they expect to sign up 100,000 new subscribers to each of their packages.

[Thai at Heart]

True must (think they're) be doing something right, they announced they expect to sign up 100,000 new subscribers to each of their packages.

Well they had better, because they are going to lose more than that with people and bars migrating to CTH just to get the soccer. You think the average Thai family wants to watch Star World ro Discovery? Soaps. Soaps. Soaps and more Soaps is what the people want with a dash of English soccer.

High brow stuff.

[ratcatcher]

Since my viewing is limited to BBC, CNN, Star Sports (Formula 1) Fox Sports and EPLwhat are my options?

Satellite connection BTW in Pathumthani area.

[delgarcon]

Read a good book, I'm reading more and more these days and quite honestly don't miss tv

[hotandhumid]

I like the sound of the 34 HD channels with CTH

[hotandhumid]

What's the big deal in no Starworld - full of garbage reality shows and chat shows, no real programming for about 6 years now. Please don't mention American Idol or anybody else's Idol cos its for old women to watch..........

I agree, it's complete rubbish. Anyone who watches a lot of this channel needs to take a long hard look at themselves (unless you're a woman)

[hotandhumid]

At least we got a bit more info coming through now.

[01322521959]

I subscribe to neither, but just glad to see more competition between different companies which is good for the paying consumer as it provides more choice.

Ditto. Left TRUE a year ago and now have Thai Expat TV and just haven't looked back.

[Commander Tamson]

I'm presently a Platinum subscriber to True, but actually provably watch less than 10 hours of television a week. The programs my GF likes to watch are mostly the freebies. Okay Okay, please don't flame me or call me an idiot - although I do deserve both. I do like watching the EPL big name matches although I'm no particular club fan - Raith Rovers [the best team in .....em.....Kirkcaldy]

True's content is pathetic, even for a dual speaker [English & Thai] and the loss of the EPL is about give me serious thought for my future viewing.

Thanks to Delgarcon for that link - I'll keep an eye on that one for the next week or two.

Is CTH only avaible via cable? With download speeds and bandwidths increasing all the time - providers should be seriously considering internet links to all their channels.

[hotandhumid]

I just had a look at True's 2 new cheaper packages, they are garbage and not worth having.

What is key for me is finding out what other channels CTH have, they say they have 170 channels so one assumes there must be some decent stuff amongst that lot.

Even thought the Premier League (NOT EPL) is my priority I would still like to see the other sports true have like the golf/tennis majors, F1 and the big Sunday morning boxing....would miss that. Plus the missus like to watch the movie channels...

[Valentine]

True spent 20 million for a big party but seemingly cannot get their website to be seamless or even have anything on there about the new packages.

[Valentine]

I like the sound of the 34 HD channels with CTH

You need to buy a digital receiver though. Here in Phuket KPP Cable quoted 2,000 for the unit & then they reckon 350 a month for 150 channels including EPL.

[brewsterbudgen]

Does anyone know any large Bangkok condo that can get CTH?

[edwardandtubs]

Does anyone know any large Bangkok condo that can get CTH?

I assume all of them can if you subscribe to CTH and they come and install a box. Or am I being naive?

[sotsira]

Does anyone know any large Bangkok condo that can get CTH?

I assume all of them can if you subscribe to CTH and they come and install a box. Or am I being naive?

Yes i think you are being naive, large condo buildings can only provide viewers with whatever

signal is supplied to their buildings.

This will cause problems for any new company to be able to supply their signal to numerous

individual condos without running new cables throughout the building.

[brewsterbudgen]

Does anyone know any large Bangkok condo that can get CTH?

I assume all of them can if you subscribe to CTH and they come and install a box. Or am I being naive?

I would imagine the cable infrastructure needs to be in place in the area.

[hotandhumid]

True spent 20 million for a big party but seemingly cannot get their website to be seamless or even have anything on there about the new packages.

There is info about their new packages on there. Look again.