Digital, satellite growth 'to continue'
Digital and satellite broadcasting are expected to continue growing healthily for years to come thanks to evolving media platforms, the Nation Landscape seminar was told yesterday.
Sin Petrarat, managing director of AGB Nielsen Media Research, said satellite TV had been gaining in popularity over the past few years. Its share has risen from 15 per cent in January to 19.2 per cent.
Contributing to the growth in number of viewers are the improvements in infrastructure, increase in producers and greater affordability of hardware, especially flat-screen television sets and satellite dishes.
Supranee Dechaburanon, former president of Group M Thailand Co, said spending on digital media was ramping up rapidly. This year the value of digital-display advertisements is expected to climb to between Bt2 billion and Bt3 billion. The digital-display segment will expand by 17 per cent, surpassing overall industry growth.
Sin and Supranee both pointed to the change in consumer behaviour. The new media platform prompted AGB Nielsen to adjust its television-audience monitor to meet the present platform while Supranee said the media should not overlook the importance of purchase networks, where consumers no longer purchase or make decisions without influence from their social networks.
The change will be more prominent when Thailand gets improved infrastructure such as third- or fourth-generation wireless broadband technology.
At Nation Broadcasting Corp, president Adisak Limprungpatanakij welcomed such a positive outcome. A veteran with more than two decades in content-oriented TV, he said Nation Multimedia Group was more than ready to compete in the cable TV segment (non-subscription TV).
“In 2007, satellite TV reception accounted for only 2 per cent, while it is at 40 per cent now,” he said.
NMG is the pioneer in maximising the potential of social TV in which viewers and even non-viewers can get actively engaged before, during and after each programme. The public’s participation will also result in a surge in programme ratings, he said.
The panellists showed how social media play a greater role in shaping the broadcasting-media landscape.
“Every phenomenon and opportunity forms our key strategy in battling in the industry,” Adisak said.
