Channel 3 no longer 'free TV'

The broadcasting committee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) yesterday concluded 

that Bangkok Entertainment Company’s Channel 3 would not have the status of a free-TV channel from today onwards under the committee’s definitions, announced in February. Channel 3 has only the status of the holder of a state broadcasting concession and a broadcaster under the provisional clause of the Broadcasting Act 2008. 

This suggests that if the operators of cable or satellite TV continue to carry Channel 3’s analog programmes, they risk violating the NBTC’s definitions of free TV. Cable and satellite operators are required by law to include free-to-air channels in their line-ups, but that officially only means free digital channels, not analog. 

However, Natee said Channel 3 could continue airing its analog programmes, in line with an edict made by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) in May. He declined to elaborate on this. 

Shortly after the military seized power from the elected government, the NCPO issued “Announcement No 27”, declaring that all terrestrial digital and analog TV channels could resume broadcasting their programmes via the cable and satellite platforms.

When asked by the press yesterday if this meant cable and satellite could carry Channel 3, Natee said the broadcasting committee would consider the matter again today.

The NBTC’s definition of “free TV” was supposed to come into force on May 25, but BEC filed a complaint with the Central Administrative Court and sought a temporary injunction. The court accepted the case for consideration but rejected the request for the injunction. Later the broadcasting committee extended the effective date of the new definition from May 25 to September 1. 

In a separate matter, the Radio Television Broadcasting Professio-nal Federation comprising the operators of the 24 commercial digital channels yesterday asked the broadcasting committee to waive for two years the second instalment of their up-front licence fees, as well as the annual fees. 

They also asked for a five-year extension of the term of the licences to 20 years.

They noted that the NBTC had yet to distribute its promised vouchers to help people buy digital set-top boxes, and this was affecting their business. 

The broadcasting committee took the case into consideration.