High definition variety channels to be first up for bidding
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As expected, the first day of bidding for digital terrestrial TV licences will be devoted to the category for high-definition variety programmes.
“Seven HD variety channels will go up for bidding first and then seven variety in standard definition, seven news and three children’s channels,” Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission’s broadcasting committee, said yesterday.
The NBTC plans to auction off 24 licences for commercial digital terrestrial TV channels. There will be three categories of SD licences – variety, news and children’s channels.
The broadcasting committee had earlier planned to reveal the details on the order of the auction after bidding documents were submitted from October 28-29.
The order was decided based on the starting price – Bt1.51 billion per licence for seven HD variety channels on the first day, Bt380 million per licence for seven SD variety channels on the second day, Bt220 million per licence for seven SD news channels on the third day and Bt140 million per licence for three SD children’s channels on the last day.
The panel also reserved the right to cancel the auction for any licence category if the number of bidders was lower than or even with the number of available licences.
Of the 39 companies picking up 49 bidding packages early this month,
17 aim to bid for a variety SD channel, 12 for a news SD channel, 12 for a variety HD channel and eight for a children’s channel.
