BEC to petition NBTC against order to drop Ch 3

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CH3
BEC to petition NBTC against order to drop Ch 3
Usanee Mongkonporn,
Watchiranont Thongtep
The Nation


Pravit

BANGKOK: -- The boss of Channel 3 will lodge a petition with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunica-tions Commission today opposing the recent decision by the broadcasting committee to order cable and satellite TV operators to remove Channel 3 from their platforms.

The NBTC's public relations department said Pravit Maleenont, executive director of BEC World, the parent company of Bangkok Entertainment Company, the operator of Channel 3, would meet with NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasit this afternoon on the issue.

Pravit is expected to request that the broadcasting panel revise the order which, BEC believes is unfair.

Yesterday, the NBTC office issued an official order to cable and satellite operators to drop Channel 3 in compliance with the exclusion of analog broadcasters from the definition of "free TV". That designation now only applies to the new terrestrial-based digital format.

The NBTC's written notice should reach all the cable/satellite operators within a couple of working days, and they will then have 15 days to explain to their customers why they are being forced to remove the popular channel from their line-ups.

After that, the NBTC will establish a subcommittee to make sure they comply, and drop Channel 3. This panel might take administrative action against them, such as issuing a warning letter or fining them, if they were found violating the order.

Surin Krittiyaphongphun, executive vice president of BEC, said his company had offered the broadcasting panel the chance to carry its analog TV signal to other platforms via what is called "real-time pass through".

"If the watchdog wants to pass our analog TV programmes through a digital TV channel operated by our sister company BEC-Multimedia, it must negotiate directly with the digital TV licence holder," he said. BEC-Multimedia has already prepared the business plans for its three digital channels - 3HD, 3SD and 3Family.

Surin said that if the broadcasting panel wanted BEC-Multimedia to simulcast Channel 3's analog programmes, the company might need some motivation.

NBTC commissioner Supinya Klangnarong said that if BEC-Multimedia expressed an interest in simulcasting its analog TV programmes on its digital channels, the broadcast committee might consider this request.

Bangkok Broadcasting and Television - the operator of Channel 7 - has also submitted a request for a licence-fee cut as a remedy during the simulcast period, she said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/BEC-to-petition-NBTC-against-order-to-drop-Ch-3-30243104.html


-- The Nation 2014-09-12