Licence fee reductions get OK

The reductions will also apply to operators of cable and satellite television.
After the weekly meeting of the NBTC broadcasting committee, its chairman Natee Sukonrat said yesterday that public-service digital terrestrial TV broadcasters would have their licence fee cut by half if they are able to fill more than 50 per cent of their airtime with news, information and edutainment programmes. The fees for community-based service will be waived for those making a similar commitment.
Meanwhile, commercial broadcasters able to deliver such con-|tent during at least 70 per cent of airtime will get a 15-per-cent reduction in licence fees, according to the draft.
Of the total fee, 2 per cent will be for the licence itself and 2 per cent will be apportioned for the NBTC’s broadcasting research and development.
The broadcasting committee also approved the draft of a “must have” rule, which recently sparked a conflict between the NBTC and media and entertainment giant RS, which has secured the rights to broadcast the Fifa World Cup soccer tournament in 2014.
Natee said the committee insisted on keeping seven international sports events – the Southeast Asian Games, Asean Para Games, Asian Games, Asian Para Games, Olympic Games, Paralympics and the Fifa World Cup Final – to be broadcast on free-TV channels only.
He added that if a broadcaster held the right to air one of those events, it must first present its needs to the NBTC for approval.
The draft regulations on licence-fee reductions will be submitted to the NBTC board for approval before going to a public hearing next month. The draft of the must-have rule will be submitted to the board tomorrow and will soon be published in the Royal Gazette.