GMM Grammy budgets Bt1 bn for digital TV channel

Saithip Montrikul Na Audhaya, GGM Grammy co-chief executive officer, said yesterday that after the company revamped its TV schedule and image next month, it would put focus more on content development at GMM Channel to attract its target audience. 

Under next month’s plan, GMM Channel, which is currently in a test-run period, will prepare 20 per cent of the total airtime slots for news, 30 per cent for information and documentaries, 40 per cent for situation-comedy, drama and variety shows, and the rest for sports. Saithip said about half of the airtime would be taken up by in-house productions and the rest by content from outside production houses.

She said GMM Channel would be a resource pool for film and TV production and music from the company’s subsidiaries, such as news programmes from One HD and economic news from the Money Channel. 

The company says it is combining the strengths of GTH, Index Creative Village, the Green FM radio station and the O-Shopping channel into this channel.

Because of a delay in the distribution of digital TV coupons this year, Saithip said she wanted to make sure the audience would be big enough. Next year’s situation would be better than it is currently. 

As a result, she said the company was set to invest about Bt1 billion on content development and production. It believes that high-quality programmes will attract a new audience on top of the existing fan base.

She said she would integrate GMM Channel with the company’s event business to attract advertisers. 

“Besides featuring their television commercials on GMM Channel, our advertisers will be a part of our concerts organised by Bangkok’s most famous Green Wave radio station,” she said.