NBTC reveals plans for public TV licensing

In June, only eight licences for 12 public digital TV channels will be granted to potential bidders in a “beauty contest”, while the remainder will be reserved for the existing analog broadcasters to run their TV programmes during a simulcast period, according to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.

Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the NBTC’s broadcasting committee, said yesterday that the beauty contest for the eight public digital TV channels, scheduled to begin in June, would be earmarked for new players. 

“The broadcasting panel is working on the required specifications of potential bidders, conditions and essential details for this unique kind of bid,” Natee said.

He added that after those details were complete, the NBTC would announce public participation before the beauty contest begins. The validity term for the eight new licences for public TV channels is four years. 

He explained that another four spectrum slots would be reserved for the Royal Thai Army’s TV5, the Public Relations Department’s Channel 11 and the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) with the remaining two channels.

Natee stressed that during the simulcast period, the broadcasting regulator must allow existing TV broadcasters to air their analog programmes through digital signals. 

Under the International Telecom-munication Union (ITU), a common method for international broadcasting and telecommunication regulators to ensure that television viewers without set-top boxes are not deprived of services is to have analog and digital broadcasting in tandem for the simulcast period. 

Under such guidelines, TV5, Channel 11 and Thai PBS must pay network leasing fees to transmit their analog programmes via digital signals. The simulcast period will end when the NBTC orders those state agencies to switch their analog services off. 

Additionally, according to the broadcasting master plan (2012-16), the NBTC must determine an exact time frame for the state agencies, state enterprises and other state units or persons who are currently assigned frequencies to return them for future operations, as specified in the spectrum management master plan, within two years. 

Natee added that his panel expected to set the exact time frame for TV5 and Channel 11 by the end of next month, while Thai PBS had signed a memorandum of understanding to return its holding spectrum within the next three years to the NBTC for reallocation. Under this MoU, the NBTC must, in return, allocate two spectrum slots for Thai PBS’s public TV channels. 

However, on Sunday civil-society groups, journalist associations and academics called for the postponement of this process, particularly to allow TV5 and Channel 11 to run their analog programmes over the digital TV platform, because they believed it would breach the spirit of media reform. They also suggested that the NBTC should allow relevant parties to engage in the process before the beauty contest began.

In a separate matter, the broadcasting panel gave the green light for MCOT to test-run its network service in line with digital services for research and development purposes in seven provinces – Bangkok, Khon Kaen, Lampang, Nakhon Ratchasima, Sukhothai, Surat Thani and Phuket. MCOT plans to deploy at least 1,000 digital TV set-top boxes in those assigned areas.

The Public Relations Department was also allowed to test-run the services in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen.

 

Public TV licences

 

Existing analog public TV operators

During simulcast period, existing analog public TV broadcasters; TV5, Channel 11 and Thai PBS, must run their analog TV programmes via digital terrestrial TV broadcasting when the NBTC orders them to switch it off. These analog public TV operators have no need to get digital TV licence during the simulcast period. 

 

New players in public digital TV

In June, New players including state agencies, ministries, non-government organisations (NGOs) and public foundations must enter to a beauty contest for eight public digital TV licences.

 

Eight licences are;

1) Educational, science and cultural channel

2) Sports and public health promotion channel

3) National security channel

4) Religion channel

5) Public safety and security channel

6) Government and public relations channel

7) Democracy promotion channel

8) Children's channel (also for disabled people)

 

Licence valid term: 4 years

 

Source: NBTC