RSiam seeks partners in Laos and Cambodia
RSiam, the country-music business unit of RS, is seeking partners in Laos and Cambodia as the music and entertainment group bids to expand its operations regionally.
RS executive vice president Soopachai Nillawan, who oversees RSiam, yesterday said the company had been in talks with several firms in the telecommunication and broadcasting sector in both countries. It expects to strike the first deal in Laos.
“As our country music is contemporary style, we believe it will suit local tastes in Laos, particularly in Vientiane, the capital,” he said.
The company plans to introduce a new service in the two countries, namely digital music downloads via mobile-phone networks, and hopes to keep piracy problems to the minimum.
It will also establish an exclusive agent in each of the markets, responsible for conducting shows and marketing events for RS’s sponsors, Soopachai added.
Meanwhile, RS continues to expand its country-music-related business in the Kingdom, yesterday announcing the launch of a new radio station, Sabaidee Radio.
RSiam will jointly produce programming for the station with Music Lover, which was granted a two-year concession to operate on the FM88.5 waveband early this year. The Royal Thai Navy holds this radio frequency.
Soopachai said the station would generate at least Bt30 million in revenue and break even by the end of the year. The company expects to enjoy a profit from the operation next year.
RSiam also plans a second satellite-TV channel, targeting grass-roots customers through the provision of local content. It has earmarked Bt40 million to Bt60 million for the annual operating cost of the new channel.
Currently, RSiam operates the 24-hour Sabaidee TV satellite channel, providing a wide range of country-music and entertainment programmes, mainly aimed at families.
RSiam targets overall revenue of Bt760 million this year. In the first six months, the company enjoyed a 9.5-per-cent rise in revenue to Bt325 million, against the Bt297 million achieved in the same period last year.
Seventy per cent of the full-year income is expected to come from music business, including physical products, digital downloading service, show business and event organisation, while the remainder will be media business from radio and satellite-TV operations.
“In the next three years, the company would like to see equal revenue contributions from music and media business,” Soopachai said.
