Vouchers expected to give digital TV a big boost: Thailand

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Vouchers expected to give digital TV a big boost
Watchiranont Thongtep
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Nielsen (Thailand) and the Digital TV Club believe that helping households acquire terrestrial digital TV devices by giving them vouchers will promote sustainable growth of terrestrial digital TV and boost the audience ratings of digital operators.

Suphab Kleekachai, chief adviser to the ThaiTV channel, said last week on behalf of the president of the Digital TV Club he agreed with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission's decision to give away Bt690-vouchers to over 22 million households to purchase either a digital TV set-top box or digital television set by the middle of September.

"However, the NBTC should kick off the distribution as quickly as possible. It would be great if the broadcasting regulator started distributing the Bt690 coupons by August," he said.

Suphab commented on this issue after a meeting with the largest media research firm last week at the MCOT head office.

Adisak Limprungpatanakij, president of Nation Broadcasting Corporation, said the digital terrestrial TV platform must be the national backbone of TV broadcasting.

"No more delay for the country's key transformation to the digital TV era," he said.

The NBTC had told the industry that the free vouchers were supposed to be delivered to households in May, he said.

This fast process would help people access TV programmes via the digital terrestrial TV platform while the national TV audience rating meter would measure audience satisfaction for each digital TV show, he said.

Nielsen (Thailand), the present TV audience rating meter, seems to agree with the NBTC's decision.

Managing director Sinthu Peatrarut said the decision would create more opportunities for new players in the digital terrestrial TV business.

"If audiences mostly watch digital TV programmes only via the terrestrial digital TV platform, their attention will focus only on digital terrestrial TV channels. This would help boost TV ratings for digital TV channels," he said.

After recently adding 200 TV receptors on top of the existing 1,800 survey panels to correspond with the arrival of the 24 digital TV channels, the company believes that by next quarter, TV ratings will be available for its new clients.

To cover the expected increase in digital TV set-top boxes, sample sizes would be expanded to 2,200 households or about 7,700 individuals by the second quarter of next year from 2,000 households or about 7,000 individuals by this year.

Most digital terrestrial TV operators have already become Nielsen's subscribers under a one- or two-year contract.

Suphab said his company pays about Bt100,000 a month to subscribe to information on its TV audience ratings. Other clients do the same.

"But if a client company wants to know more information about TV ratings across the board, it must be charged an extra fee, which is quite expensive," he said.

The Digital TV Club is seeking a two-year subsidy from the NBTC to help defray this extra cost.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Vouchers-expected-to-give-digital-TV-a-big-boost-30239573.html


-- The Nation 2014-07-28

[chooka]

Australia went digital a couple of years ago and personally I don't see any difference at all so what is the point. It seems just like a big rip off by the large electronic companies to sell more t.v's

[jaltsc]

Wow!!! That's what Thais need...Digital TV to enhance the viewing of the inane plots on soap operas that much more.

[BSJ]

And who exactly is footing the bill for all the 690 baht vouchers? My guess is it isn't Neilsen!

[chooka]

And who exactly is footing the bill for all the 690 baht vouchers? My guess is it isn't Neilsen!

The military Junta probably part of the happiness in the military campaign.

[chotthee]

Wow!!! That's what Thais need...Digital TV to enhance the viewing of the inane plots on soap operas that much more.

No. it is to enhance viewing of our great supreme leader Gen Prayuth et al.

[soalbundy]

The same sort of vouchers for the first time car buyers who are still waiting for their money or the rice scheme where some ( my family ) are still waiting for their money ? This is going to be a nice little earner for the desperate who have had their best earners taken away from them.

[ezzra]

will promote sustainable growth of terrestrial digital TV and boost the audience ratings of digital operators.

This is the worst gobilty gook I ever heard for long time, how pray tell, it's going to help the ordinary

Thai people? buy watching more tv channels and being exposed to more silly, frivolous and mindless

soap operas and being bombarded with thousand of commercials?

The only one that will make money out of it are the advertisers, the Tv stations and the merchants....

[snairb]

there is no such thing as " a digital tv" nor is there a digital tv transmission there is an analogue transmission known as radio waves to most people which are analogue that is they rise and fall

in amplitude but are capable of carrying coded data , when arriving at the aerial they generate small electromagnetic waves which is decoded by the settop box and can be fed into any tv old or new

so if you get a voucher and your tv is working no need to buy a new one

[connda]

Australia went digital a couple of years ago and personally I don't see any difference at all so what is the point. It seems just like a big rip off by the large electronic companies to sell more t.v's

...and Big Brother gets to watch you. If it wasn't for my wife, the television would be sitting on the side of the road.

[rayw]

Sorry what rubbish. Digital TV is a huge improvement over analogue TV, which here in many areas of Thailand is horrible and gives terrible pictures which for some are hardly even watchable, So what is wrong with us getting so much good positive news lately?? Time to rejoice not to bloody well moan and pick holes.

With digital TV it is either superb or nothing at all which would require probably accurate aerial alignment. But anyway for those in weak signal areas the old analogue service will continue for some years to come until total digital coverage is achieved, so that will help those who cannot afford any changes right now. If this brings better picture quality TV to the masses as it will, then I am all for it, so lets stop whinging hmm. What is wrong with more happiness for folk as that is surely exactly what is needed in this sick world right now ?? I applaud this move which happened incidentally in the UK back in the 90's, where I think it was the first country to have such a national terrestrial digital TV service.

So being open minded I must say that some things in the UK were and still are great and world leading, BUT sadly though just not much is good there these days since the UK adopted the sick US model of unelected corrupt corporate control of their Governments and the resulting sickness we can all see there at the horrific cost to the ordinary peoples' lives..

Edited July 28, 2014 by rayw

[Jim walker]

Thai Soaps in super HD3D with incredible surround sound on full belt absolute HEVEN

[chooka]

Australia went digital a couple of years ago and personally I don't see any difference at all so what is the point. It seems just like a big rip off by the large electronic companies to sell more t.v's

...and Big Brother gets to watch you. If it wasn't for my wife, the television would be sitting on the side of the road.

How does big brother watch you though the television, can't you just throw a towel over the screen so he doesn't see you?

[MZurf]

Australia went digital a couple of years ago and personally I don't see any difference at all so what is the point. It seems just like a big rip off by the large electronic companies to sell more t.v's

...and Big Brother gets to watch you. If it wasn't for my wife, the television would be sitting on the side of the road.

How does big brother watch you though the television, can't you just throw a towel over the screen so he doesn't see you?

A towel is not enough! Below you will see connda with his cat "Mr. Snowden" during the testing of their newly developed TPS (Total Protection System).