PSI banks on innovation, partnerships for growth
PSI Holdings says it will continue to focus on innovation in partnership with content providers in a bid to strengthen its long-term business under the licence-based regime of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.
The country’s largest manufacturer and distributor of satellite TV receivers targets Bt3 billion in revenue this year despite slow sales growth in the first quarter.
Executive director Worasit Leelaburanapong said that from January to March, people suspended purchases of its products because they were waiting for new digital terrestrial TV receivers. The overall electronics industry faced slow growth during that period.
After the disappointing first quarter, the company lowered its 2013 revenue target from Bt3.5 billion to Bt3 billion. However, it believes it will still enjoy growth driven by sales of satellite dishes, set-top boxes and new products.
Chief executive officer Somporn Teerachanapong said his 20-year-old firm would emphasise two key strategies.
First is innovation. Yesterday, it launched the Ozone, a portable satellite dish with a 7-inch-screen TV receiver. It receives satellite signals via the Ku band.
Somporn believes that this model will attract new customers who live in condominiums and apartments. The sales target is about a million sets in the first year.
The second strategy is to enter partnerships with leading content providers such as music and entertainment firm RS, pay-TV operator TrueVisions, TV Direct and Workpoint Entertainment to co-create new set-top boxes that are bundled with special television channels.
For instance, PSI and TrueVisions jointly launched a new model of the True TV set-top box. TrueVisions offers 17 special channels via the box.
Anat Mekpaiboonvatana, a TrueVisions managing director, said that by the end of this year his company would add three new channels for customers to access via this box. And early next year, the two companies plan to launch a True TV HD box with five high-definition channels.
PSI Holdings has also teamed up with RS to launch the PSI Digital O2 box.
Viewers can watch live international soccer matches on Sun Channel along with other entertainment channels, including Channel 8, Channel 6, Workpoint TV, PSI Channel and Shop at Home Channel, in high definition via the PSI O2 Digital set-top box. Customers can also access free-to-air satellite TV channels via this box.
