Channel 5 plans revenue boost in 2015
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After experiencing a huge loss of business, mainly advertising, this year, the Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Station's Channel 5 has high hopes of shoring up its revenue in 2015 through new prime-time programming and transmitting the broadcasts of
“The prime-time slot, which runs from 8.30 to 10.30pm, will be our focus,” General Surawat Butrwong, president of TV5, said yesterday.
Nielsen (Thailand) has reported that ad expenditures from January-October suffered almost a 10-per-cent drop from the same period last year.
Maj-General Boonyarit Wissamol, director of policy and planning, admitted yesterday that the station’s performance this year was unsatisfactory, as estimated earnings would be 30 per cent lower than targeted.
However, TV5 is still optimistic about next year while transforming itself into a public digital terrestrial TV channel for national-security purposes.
Surawat said that under next year’s strategy, the station would increase news and informative content to 70 per cent of airtime. The rest would be for entertainment.
TV5 has strong partners including JSL Global Media, Kantana Group, TV Thunder, Polyplus and Platinum, and 3A Marketing to co-produce prime-time programmes.
In-house programmes will also be increased to 50 per cent from 40 per cent after some major TV production houses such as Workpoint Entertainment and GMM Grammy decided to discontinue some of their shows on TV5 because they wanted to concentrate on their own digital TV channels.
Transmitting digital broadcasts for 13 operators will be a new key source of revenue next year. The clients are Channel 7HD, Nation TV, Now 26, True4U, TNN 24, Bright TV, GMM Channel, One HD, Mono 29, Workpoint Creative TV, PPTV, Amarin TV and New TV.
TV5 also uses its facilities to broadcast its TV5 HD1.
Boonyarit, who is in charge of establishing the digital TV transmission network, said that by April, all 39 main broadcasting towers would be equipped with transmitters to cover more than 80 per cent of all households.
Next year would see 15 gap fillers in Bangkok and low-power transmitters at 124 sites nationwide. TV5 aims for 30 per cent of revenue from providing digital transmission service while the bulk will come from TV production and broadcasting at TV5.
However, the firm refuses to provide an income guidance for next year.
