Channel 3 turns focus to non-prime time
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Bangkok Entertainment Co., the operator of Channel 3, will revamp its non-prime time TV programmes in the second quarter in a bid to lure more advertising after the recent hike in prime time.
This is a part of Channel 3’s efforts to raise its advertising |rates, particularly for non-prime time programmes, before 24 commercial digital TV channels take |to the airwaves early next year. |This also means that supply of |available TV channels in the advertising industry will see a large increase.
Surin Krittayaphongphun, vice president for marketing and sales at BEC, said that the company would debut newly produced programmes, replacing old programmes being rerun on weekday afternoons next month.
“We hope that this change can attract more income from television commercials after we have already raised advert fees for prime time slots last year,” Surin added.
Besides non-prime time programmes, which will be the company’s central focus throughout this year, BEC will continue to offer international-format shows like “The Voice Kids”, “Thailand‘s Got Talent Season 3” and “The Voice Thailand Season 2”, on prime time slots on weekends.
REVENUE TARGET
BEC targets Bt16 billion revenue, up from Bt14.8 billion last year.
Analysis by Asia Plus Securities said that since January all local TV broadcasters had been increasing their ad rates for selected programmes, excluding prime-time ones, as they believed that it would be difficult to adjust new rates due to an increase in TV channel supply.
Underlining this point, RS chief operating officer Pornpan Techarungchaikul said that the digital TV market, with more diversified players, could bring advertising costs down. This would also lure more new advertisers, who have avoided buying TV commercial airtime on the current free analog TV channels as ad rates were too high for them.
Pornpan added that after all digital terrestrial TV channels were put in place, major analog TV operators might face a big challenge due to intense competition though the TV broadcasting industry would see more than 20-per-cent growth in advertising spending at least in the first two years.
Meanwhile, MCOT’s chief financial officer, Jessada Promjart, also believed that advertising budgets would become more fragmented.
Additionally, the National Broadcasting and Telecommuni-cations Commission is set to begin a spectrum auction for 24 licences of digital TV channels for commercial purposes between August and September. New TV broadcasters with licences are expected to kick off their TV stations early next year. Then, the number of free TV channels will grow to 30 from six channels now.
