Intense competition seen for SD variety channel licences

Today and tomorrow, the Broadcasting Committee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission is accepting bids for 24 commercial digital terrestrial TV licences, of which seven are for high-definition (HD) variety, seven for SD variety, seven for SD news and three for SD children’s.
Last month, 33 companies picked up 49 bid packages, but they cannot submit all the bid documents that they want. For example, BEC-Multimedia, an affiliate of the Channel 3 operator, and True Visions Group each took four packages, but according to the auction rules, they can apply for a maximum of three categories. A company bidding for HD variety licences cannot bid for a news licence and vice versa.
Mono Group and Triple V took three bid packages – for SD news, SD variety and HD variety – but they will have to choose only two categories and ditch one, either news or variety HD.
Following this restriction, 45 bid packages are expected to be submitted by the 33 companies during the two days.
The 17 companies aiming for seven SD variety channels are Bangkok Business Broadcasting, BBTV Satelvision, Touch TV, GMM SD Digital TV, BEC-Multimedia, Voice TV, Thai Broadcasting, Thai TV, MCOT, Bangkok Media and Broadcasting, Mono Broadcast, True DTT, RS Television, Amarin Television, Triple V, 411 Entertainment and NTC.
Although the winners of HD licences would face high leasing rates for broadcasting networks, some of them have confirmed that they would try for a variety HD channel.
Premon Pinskul, chief financial officer of GMM Grammy, the owner of GMM SD Digital TV and GMM HD Digital TV, said that his company would submit two applications.
Chalakorn Panyashom, executive vice president for businesses section two and special events at Workpoint Entertainment, said his subsidiary Thai Broadcasting would also apply for both SD and HD variety channels.
For HD variety, 12 companies are expected to apply – Bangkok Broadcasting and Television, GMM HD Digital TV, BEC-Multimedia, Thai Broadcasting, MCOT, Bangkok Media and Broadcasting, Mono TV, True DTT, Triple V, Chan 25, PM Group and Amarin Television.
Meanwhile, the issue of conflict of interest between Bangkok Broadcasting and Television (BBTV), the operator of Channel 7, and Surang Prempree’s Chan 25 is still in the spotlight as both companies have said they are targeting the HD variety category. However, both parties would risk disqualification, as Surang and her spouse combined hold about 21 per cent of BBTV’s shares.
Also, this licence category might see low meaningful competition.
For the seven news channels, there are 12 companies contesting – NBC Next Vision, Voice TV, Post TV, BEC-Multimedia, Springnews Television, Thai TV, Mono Generation, I-Sport Media, 3A Marketing, DN Broadcast, Thai News Network and Tripple V.
 For the children’s channels, eight companies are in the running – Nation Kids, Thai TV, MCOT, Rose Media and Entertainment, BEC-Multimedia, Touch TV, True DTT and Active Post.