Imminent digital-TV era a boon for receiver makers
The satellite-TV-equipment manufacturing industry expects sales to surge to at least Bt15 billion next year, fuelled mainly by the arrival of digital terrestrial TV broadcasting, according to the Satellite Dish Club.
“We believe the transition to digital terrestrial TV broadcasting, which is expected to begin early next year, presents genuine opportunities for satellite-TV manufacturers, rather than being a trend,” Niran Tangpiroontham, president of the Satellite Dish Club, told The Nation last week.
Niran said many satellite-TV manufacturers and distributors were ready to sell set-top boxes for digital terrestrial TV broadcasting services, placing orders from overseas while waiting for the green light from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
The arrival of the digital terrestrial TV business is expected to stimulate local consumption and generate more than Bt15 billion in revenue for the satellite-TV manufacturing industry. Of the 22 million households in the Kingdom, 12 million watch TV via satellite TV receivers; six million watch via analog TV receivers; and the rest access programmes through cable TV platforms.
Niran expects half of all households will buy new digital TV set-top boxes (DVB-T2), priced at around Bt1,000 per set, due to the discount vouchers provided by the NBTC. This would create approximately Bt11 billion revenue for the industry.
‘Must carry’ rule
Meanwhile, 36 new digital terrestrial TV channels, which must be carried via all broadcasting platforms under the NBTC’s “must-carry” rule, will also drive sales in the replacement market. Under this rule, cable and satellite TV operators must carry 12 public and 24 commercial TV channels.
By the end of this year, sales of cable TV set-top boxes are expected to generate Bt3 billion in revenue from 2 million cable-TV customers. Additionally, sales of satellite-TV receivers are forecast to reach Bt1 billion, spent by 1 million customers who want to replace their old ones.
Apart from digital terrestrial TV broadcasting, Niran, who is also managing director of Infosat, said the satellite-TV distribution segment has room to grow in the area of KU-band satellite TV dishes, as this kind of receiver works with high-definition technology.
Manop Tokarnka, president of IPMTV, a K-band satellite-TV distributor, said he would put more focus on the urban market next year after his company shifted its rental transponders from the NSS6 satellite to the SES8 satellite. The move allows better quality of services such as increasing the number of new HD channels to 60 from 20.
To cash in on the arrival of digital terrestrial TV broadcasting, IPMTV will introduce hybrid satellite-TV set-top boxes, which are able to work with satellite and terrestrial TV signals, priced at about Bt2,000 per set. Customers will be able to watch the upcoming 36 digital terrestrial TV channels and more than 200 satellite TV channels via IPMTV, Manop said.
