Trial run for digital TV service on six free-to-air channels
Six analog terrestrial-television broadcasters will launch digital TV services on a trial basis by the end of the year, Thawatchai Jittrapanun, a member of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission, said yesterday.
The NBTC plans to grant temporary licences to six current free-to-air channels – BEC’s ThaiTV3, the Army’s TV5, BBTV Channel 7, MCOT’s Modernine TV, the Public Relations Department’s NBT and Thai Public Broadcast Service (Thai PBS) – to operate digital terrestrial services as a part of trial run expected to begin in December.
Technically, the new service will be allowed to be transmitted on existing technology. Viewers who can get access to digital TV channels will enjoy the same programmes as those aired on the analog platform, but broadcasters will unavoidably face higher operating costs, Thawatchai said.
Thai PBS engineering director Kantachai Srisukhon said that since the original launch of digital terrestrial broadcasts in the past couple of months, the station had seen its operating costs almost double. Most of higher costs are from electricity usage and the provision of a satellite uplink and downlink service.
In the meantime, the NBTC is working on how to increase the penetration rate for usage of digital set-top boxes. This includes a possible government subsidy scheme and the granting of special permission for selling set-top boxes during the trial period, which is also called the “simulcast period”.
“Initially, the NBTC will permit only local manufacturers and producers who meet the basic requirements determined by the commission to sell and distribute set-top boxes for digital TV,” Thawatchai said.
An industry source told The Nation that Samart Engineering, a major manufacturer and distributor of antennas and satellite receivers, and Planet Communications Asia, which is an integrated communications provider, are among the manufacturers keen on selling the set-top boxes.
Thawatchai acknowledged that persuading viewers to invest in a new set-top box for digital TV service would be very difficult, but it was possible.
Currently, the nationwide TV penetration rate is about 22 million households, 45.8 per cent of which watch programmes via analog terrestrial TV, 28.7 per cent via cable TV, and 25.5 per cent via satellite TV.
The NBTC member added that it would likely take five to 10 years to get 20 million set-top boxes for digital TV into households across the country.
