Producers join clamour on Channel 3 ban
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Citing impact on business, extension of deadline sought
Leading TV production houses under contract to Channel 3 are appealing to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission to extend its deadline for cable and satellite TV to drop the analog station, citing the impact to their business.
Arunocha Panuphan, founder and chief executive officer of Broadcast Thai Television, said yesterday that her company had already prepared its line-up for the channel for next month. If it is banned from cable and satellite, it might affect her company.
The firm is considered a cornerstone partner of Channel 3 after producing and supplying TV dramas to the station for more than 20 years.
If the NBTC ban is carried out, the 70 per cent of households that watch cable and satellite TV would miss the opportunity to view quality content produced by her company, she said.
Viboon Leerattanakajohn, chief commercial officer of Search Entertainment, said his company planned to place its children’s programme on 3HD Channel in the 5-6pm time slot next month. But after the dispute between Bangkok Entertainment Company – the Channel 3 operator – and the NBTC broke out, the company had to put the plan on hold, he said.
They made the comments at a seminar on the transition to the digital terrestrial TV era organised by the Digital Entertainment Content Federation.
In line with the feedback from the production houses, cable and satellite TV operators will also lodge a petition to the NBTC to postpone next Tuesday’s deadline to stop broadcasting Channel 3 analog TV programmes.
Wichit Aurareevorakul, president of Charoen Cable TV, said that by next week, the Thai Cable TV Association would submit a written petition to the NBTC seeking a delay of the deadline.
His company and other cable-sat TV operators have already received a directive from the NBTC to remove Channel 3 analog programmes from their services. If the NBTC does not revise its decree, the association might take legal steps because the NBTC’s stance has an impact on the cable-sat TV audience, he said.
