Cancellations of channels comply with rules, says TrueVisions
TRUEVISIONS YESTERDAY insisted that its customers had been informed in advance about its plan to stop broadcasting Discovery Science, National Geographic and nine other channels, and it thus had complied with broadcasting regulations.
The country’s largest subscription-based TV broadcaster issued a statement on the matter after a member of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) revealed that TrueVisions was seeking approval for the cancellation of 11 channels.
The other nine channels on the chopping block are: BBC Entertainment, Cbeebies, Discovery Kids, M, DMAX, EVE, Block A, Fashion1 and MUTV. The details on when the cancellations will become effective have not been disclosed yet.
In its statement, the company reasoned that the operators of those international channels wanted to discontinue their services in Thailand and other markets in Southeast Asia.
It also said that all subscribers had been informed about the change at least 30 days before the end of the services, which complied with regulations.
On Tuesday night, NBTC member Supinya Klangnarong revealed via her Twitter account that the commission’s broadcasting committee had received a written request from TrueVisions on Tuesday that it wanted to discontinue these 11 channels.
Further clarification needed
The broadcasting committee will take this matter into consideration next Monday.
However, Supinya will invite TrueVisions executives for further clarification the next day, February 7.
As chairwoman of the NBTC’s subcommittee on consumer protection, Supinya said her team had not been satisfied with TrueVisions’ remedial packages for customers affected by its previous cancellation of six movie channels from Singapore-based HBO Asia because that request was submitted less than 30 days before the cancellations were to take place.
Those movie feeds were HBO HD, HBO Hit, HBO Signature, HBO Family, Red by HBO and Cinemax.
