Digital TV: BEC in talks to find solutions

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DIGITAL TV
BEC in talks to find solutions
Usanee Mongkolporn
The Nation


Pravit

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok Entertainment Co (BEC), which operates Channel 3 analog programmes, has submitted two options for the National Broadcasting and Telecommunica-tions Commission (NBTC) to consider in its proposal to air analog content on a digital TV channel.

A BEC source said that the company and the NBTC's broadcasting office had already begun preliminary talks on the possibility of broadcasting analog content on a digital TV channel.

The watchdog wants to conclude the talks before it starts to distribute vouchers to eight million households in October to buy digital-TV set-top boxes. It also wants to complete the talks before cable and satellite TV operators start dropping channel 3 programmes from their platforms within 15 days, as ordered last week by the broadcasting committee.

The source said that during the talks between BEC and the broadcasting office, BEC proposed two options. One is that BEC will simulcast content to the high definition digital TV channel (Channel 33) of its sister company, BEC-Multimedia, on the condition that the watchdog will waive the regulatory fee and relax some rules for BEC-Multimedia's Channel 33.

The second one is it will broadcast analog content to all types of set-top boxes, including a digital TV set-top box. But by doing this, the watchdog would have to allocate a digital TV channel for it to beam content to.

BEC operates Channel 3 TV analog programmes under an MCOT concession, while its sister firm operates three digital TV channels under the NBTC's licensing regime. BEC's annual concession fee is around Bt200 million, while BEC-Multimedia's licence fee is 4 per cent of its total revenue.

The broadcasting committee will convene today to consider these options. The negotiations between BEC and the broadcasting office follow the company's proposal to the NBTC last Monday that it is willing to talk with the watchdog to seek way out of the problems.

BEC is the only holder of the state TV broadcasting concession declining to simulcast its content on a digital channel. It said that it wants to run four channels, one analog and three digital. But the broadcasting committee wants to BEC to simulcast content on a digital TV channel, to completely usher Thailand into a full digital TV era.

An NBTC source said that if the broadcasting committee selects the first proposed option, it would have to allow BEC-Multimedia not to report that it will buy analog content from BEC for simulcasts. This is to show that it is as if both companies are the same entity. In addition, it would have to consider exempting BEC-Multimedia's Channel 33 from the requirement that a maximum of 60 per cent of its content must be self-produced.

Last Friday Pravit Maleenont, executive director of BEC World, the parent company of BEC, handed a petition to the NBTC board asking it to revise a recent order by its broadcasting committee, which instructed cable and satellite TV operators to drop Channel 3 analog programmes from their networks. The NBTC board will consider this petition on Wednesday (Sept 17).

This follows the broadcasting committee's earlier announcement that Channel 3 has lost its free TV status under the NBTC's free TV definition. The watchdog defines digital TV channels as the free TV channels. Its "must carry" rule requires that cable and satellite-TV operators carry these free TV channels on their platforms.

NBTC chairman Thares Punsri said last week that the NBTC board would consider first the possible impacts on the broadcasting committee, if the NBTC board makes any decision on this petition.

During a seminar on digital TV industry last Saturday, Pravit said that BEC was ready to simulcast content, if the watchdog considers measures to help it reduce regulatory costs. He said that BEC was ready to talk with the committee to seek solutions. After serving audiences for over 40 years, it does not want its programmes to be dropped from cable and satellite networks.

Broadcasting panel commissioner Supinya Klangnarong said in the same seminar that she wants all the issues of Channel 3 to be settled either at the broadcasting committee's meeting on Monday or at the NBTC board meeting on Wednes-day. If not, cases might end up in court. BEC has already filed a legal suit against the broadcasting committee's definition that only digital TV is free TV. The case is still being considered by a court.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/BEC-in-talks-to-find-solutions-30243247.html


-- The Nation 2014-09-15

[balford]

Seems to be all about greed on one hand and bureaucratic incompetence on the other.

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

[rickirs]

If the NBTC board choses either BEC option, it will help BEC reduce its regulatory costs at the expense of the other broadcasters and make a mockery of the law and regulations. Either the NBTC shows it is a weak agency unable to assure consistency in application of regulations and law to all broadcasters, or it shows no favoritism to any and remains uncorruptable. NCPO should be encouraging NBTC to do its job rather than working out a resolution.