Thai TV slashes revenue target amid hiccups in transition to digital TV
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Thai TV has had to lower its revenue target from Bt1 billion to Bt300 million this year mainly because of the many delays in the transition to digital terrestrial TV.
President Pantipa Sakulchai said yesterday that her company still hopes to realise at least Bt300 million this year from its two digital terrestrial TV channels – the Thai TV variety channel and the children and family Loca channel.
Pantipa, who is well-known as “Big Sister Tim” from her own entertainment gossip magazine “TV Pool”, also still believes that this new broadcasting unit would be a spearhead for her company, which invested more than Bt1 billion in acquiring two terrestrial-based TV licences at an auction held by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) last year.
However, the company faced some difficulties in running a broadcasting business. For example, the penetration of digital terrestrial TV viewers is still low. The implementation of the NBTC’s subsidy scheme has also been pushed back from May to this month.
Audience ratings for digital TV channels was another factor affecting Thai TV, she added.
The company has earmarked about Bt100 million to buy at least 5,000 digital TV sets and install them in public spaces with high traffic of potential viewers, such as universities, schools, hospitals and local administrative offices in the provinces.
These measures are aimed at building brand awareness of the two channels and improving TV ratings at the stations.
Next year, the revenue target would remain unchanged at Bt2 billion. The plan to list on the Stock Exchange of Thailand by 2019 is also on track.
According to an earlier interview, Thai TV has budgeted more than Bt1.6 billion for programme production for its two digital channels, one for news and the other for children and families.
