PRD looks to budget approval for digital TV service
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As the migration from analogue to digital terrestrial TV broadcasting draws near, the Public Relations Department has high hopes that Parliament will approve its 2014 annual budget plan, valued at Bt2.9 billion, for investment in new transmitters, TV prod
PRD deputy director-general Ampawan Charuenkul yesterday said that the budget proposal had already been approved by the Cabinet, but the plan must be revised by the Budget Bureau before being submitted to Parliament.
Normally, during the revision process, each annual budget plan proposed by a government body is cut by the Budget Bureau as part of the control of national expenditure, but she said that any such reduction in this case would negatively affect the three-year plan for digital-TV broadcasting development.
Of the proposed Bt2.9-billion budget, Bt1.2 billion is earmarked for investment in digital terrestrial TV broadcasting service.
Under this investment, the PRD plans to have new digital transmitters, broadcasting towers, TV production equipment and staff to prepare for the transition to the digital terrestrial TV era, overseen by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.
Though the commission allows the PRD’s Channel 11 to simulcast its TV content via the digital terrestrial TV platform in parallel with its current analogue TV transmission, the PRD plans to have another public digital-TV channel.
Ampawan said her department had launched NBTC World TV, which broadcasts entertainment and news programmes in English via satellite TV.
The channel will potentially be developed for its new public digital-TV channel in the near future, she added.
Currently, the PRD operates National Broadcasting Television, which is widely known as Channel 11, and 147 nationwide radio stations.
To be well prepared for the change to digital, the department and 29 other state agencies and private companies have signed a two-year term memorandum of understanding for collaboration on sharing infrastructure, networks, content production and technical support in the forthcoming provision of digital terrestrial TV broadcasting service.
The state agencies signing up include Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS), MCOT, TOT, CAT Telecom, Royal Army Radio and Television Station, the Election Commission and the National Disaster Warning Centre.
The partnered companies are Planet Communication Asia, Samart Telecom, Northstar and Loxley.
