All but only Thai TV pay 8.4 billion baht licence fee yesterday



BANGKOK: -- The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) says operators of 22 digital TV channels have paid a combined licence fees of 8,404.422 million baht yesterday with only one operator failing to pay.

NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said the only operator failing to pay the second instalment of its digital TV licence is Thai TV Co, operator of its LOCA children and Thai TV channels at 288.472 million baht.

Thai TV is owned by media veteran Pantipa Sakulchai, well known as “Jae Tim TV Pool”.

Takorn said the NBTC would send a notification to Thai TV to pay up the licence fee in the second instalment, plus a 7.5% interest.

All the licence fees collected will be sent to government coffer for use as state revenues, he said.

Latest development said operator of Thai TV has officially informed the NBTC yesterday that it will abandon the digital TV licence, to be effective 15 days after its official letter was officially received by the NBTC.

A NBTC legal official said the abandoning of the digital TV licence would not affect the NBTC because the bank guarantor of the operator would be held responsible for the damage inflicted on the regulator.

Bangkok Bank is reported to issue guarantee document to Thai TV in the auction.

Thai TV placed a bank guarantee worth 2 billion baht with the NBTC before obtaining the licences to run two digital TV channels.

Its first instalment of 365 million baht had been paid.

After informing Thai TV, the regulator will charge a 7.5% annual interest rate for the overdue payment. After that, the NBTC’s legal office will interpret what it will do next.

A bank executive said there was no problem as Thai TV has posted its assets with value closing to its auction fees as collaterals.

If that would be the case, the posted collaterals will be confiscated, the executive said.

An executive of Thai TV assured the company did not face financial problem but was upset when the NBTC could not achieve its target in enabling digital TV reception to targeted areas as it earlier intended to.

Audience in large areas still could not access to digital TV broadcast, thus obstructing business plan of operators.

This was reason why it decided not to invest more in digital TV business, but would continue its entertainment business with more recruitment of staff and no lay-off.

Earlier yesterday Thai TV owner and president Pantipa Sakulchai said the company could not afford to pay the licence fees as it faced a huge financial burden.

But Ms Pantipa did not provide details about Thai TV’s failure to pay the licence fees.

Earlier, she said Thai TV had suffered a 300-million-baht loss operating the digital TV channels and a delay in the fee payment would give the company some breathing room.

Ms Pantipa still has her TV Pool magazine operation.

Thai TV entered a partnership with satellite TV operator MV Television Co, in April allowing the latter to rent 40% of air time on Local Channel.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/all-but-only-thai-tv-pay-8-4-billion-baht-licence-fee-yesterday-2


-- Thai PBS 2015-05-26

So what is this 8 billion baht for?

One big Bribe Thai style

"An executive of Thai TV assured the company did not face financial problem but was upset when the NBTC could not achieve its target in enabling digital TV reception to targeted areas as it earlier intended to."

"Earlier yesterday Thai TV owner and president Pantipa Sakulchai said the company could not afford to pay the licence fees as it faced a huge financial burden."

So which is it?

Never heard of this in Thailand, It kind of reminds me of the BBC knocking on your door demanding to see your TV licence !

All I want to know is Ms Pantipa single and avaialable.

Never heard of this in Thailand, It kind of reminds me of the BBC knocking on your door demanding to see your TV licence !

I just got a VPN (about 3500 Baht per-annum), can now watch BBC/UK TV for free.

It also gives me the very dubious option of reading the Daily Mail online (currently blocked otherwise).

Never heard of this in Thailand, It kind of reminds me of the BBC knocking on your door demanding to see your TV licence !

I just got a VPN (about 3500 Baht per-annum), can now watch BBC/UK TV for free.

It also gives me the very dubious option of reading the Daily Mail online (currently blocked otherwise).

Likewise, thus one doesn't really need bother with the Thai diet of TV, digital or otherwise!

They should not let this owman who defaulted on payments and the rest of her contracts to go scott free. Sue her and confisticate all her assets and close down her stupid TV Pool company. Unless someone in the NBTC or higher authorities has been paid.....they should sue her. Its unfair fo rthe rest of the channels and also those that did not win the bids in the earlier licensing rounds.

Never heard of this in Thailand, It kind of reminds me of the BBC knocking on your door demanding to see your TV licence !

I just got a VPN (about 3500 Baht per-annum), can now watch BBC/UK TV for free.

It also gives me the very dubious option of reading the Daily Mail online (currently blocked otherwise).

Hi Lee b,

how the VPN works? I live in a condominium and don\t have space for a disk antenna.

I have a golden subscription on True vision... I pay TBH 1,500 monthly...

Never heard of this in Thailand, It kind of reminds me of the BBC knocking on your door demanding to see your TV licence !

I just got a VPN (about 3500 Baht per-annum), can now watch BBC/UK TV for free.

It also gives me the very dubious option of reading the Daily Mail online (currently blocked otherwise).

Sounds a bit expensive? I paid 18$ for 3 years and it works fine.

Never heard of this in Thailand, It kind of reminds me of the BBC knocking on your door demanding to see your TV licence !

I just got a VPN (about 3500 Baht per-annum), can now watch BBC/UK TV for free.

It also gives me the very dubious option of reading the Daily Mail online (currently blocked otherwise).

Hi Lee b,

how the VPN works? I live in a condominium and don\t have space for a disk antenna.

I have a golden subscription on True vision... I pay TBH 1,500 monthly...

You just choose any VPN provider (Google will help you comparing them regarding speed and server locations)

You sign up, download their software and inside the software choose which country you want to 'appear in'. Then you click connect and all your internet traffic automatically goes over the server in the respective location so the websites you visit 'think' you are actually located in this location. If you choose a server in the UK, the BBC iplayer will work.

VPN also has the added benefit of usually being encrypted, so if you're paranoid about your neighbour spying on your wifi (fairly easy to do actually) this might be an extra benefit.

I read the headline several times but failed to understand it so read the article. Again, the headline statement fails to accurately summarise the content of the article. Does the writer work for the UK Guardian newspaper?

All I want to know is Ms Pantipa single and avaialable.

She's the attractive lady on the left. She's on Facebook, give her a call, she does have a big son though. Oh, and lotsa dosh.

That is one awkward headline.

Never heard of this in Thailand, It kind of reminds me of the BBC knocking on your door demanding to see your TV licence !

I just got a VPN (about 3500 Baht per-annum), can now watch BBC/UK TV for free.

It also gives me the very dubious option of reading the Daily Mail online (currently blocked otherwise).

I have a VPN too, but what about the time difference for watching BBC/UK TV ? Or any european TV by the way.

All I want to know is Ms Pantipa single and avaialable.

She's the attractive lady on the left. She's on Facebook, give her a call, she does have a big son though. Oh, and lotsa dosh.

Pantipa.jpg

Mate, Bangkok Hospital has a great eye center. Let me know if you need a doctor recommendation.

https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/centers-and-clinics/eye-center/

All I want to know is Ms Pantipa single and avaialable.

She's the attractive lady on the left. She's on Facebook, give her a call, she does have a big son though. Oh, and lotsa dosh.

Pantipa.jpg

Mate, Bangkok Hospital has a great eye center. Let me know if you need a doctor recommendation.

https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/centers-and-clinics/eye-center/

Maybe he has 20/20 vision to help her spend some of her money, afterall "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".