Bright TV ready to promote a higher profile next year
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BRIGHT TV - channel 20 on digital terrestrial TV - has set a conservative goal of becoming an alternative quality news station that will generate revenue of Bt800 million next year.
Somchai Rungsrithananon, chief executive officer of 3A Marketing, which operates the channel, said yesterday that Bright TV was a small newcomer in the digital-TV sector.
The company, therefore, wanted to be sure that eight months since its operational launch in April was long enough for it to start moving forward, he said.
Throughout the year, Bright TV appears to have been keeping a low profile, while other digital-TV players have been very active in promoting their channels and brands.
“We have preferred to be under the radar since last year’s bidding for digital-TV licences, as we are small and new,” he explained.
Somchai said that next year, however, would be the right time to introduce a new alternative for Thai audiences, particularly news consumers.
To this end, his company has set aside Bt800 million for TV production and programme development throughout the year.
Under the investment plan, two dramas, travel programmes and variety shows will be aired next year.
The company is also in discussion with a leading Japanese content provider over the production of a travel show for Bright TV, called “I Love Japan”.
Its Chinese partner also wants to produce a similar programme in China, said the CEO.
The company, meanwhile, continues to focus on producing news programmes. Bright TV has 22 news teams, including eight entertainment-news crews, to cover stories around the clock.
Bright TV also produces local news programmes in mandarin, targeting 4 million registered Chinese expatriates in the Kingdom, he said.
After securing a licence last year to run a digital-TV channel under the news-station category, the company invested more than Bt300 million in new studios, licence costs, content and employment, said Somchai. As well as having a Bt800-million investment budget for 2015, the company targets generating a similar amount in revenue during the course of the year.
This year’s revenue is expected to come in at between Bt450 million and Bt500 million, said the chief executive.
Apart from the earnings from Bright TV, 3A Marketing also produces morning and nightly news programmes for TV5, which is run by the Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Station.
Other businesses include event management and an advertising planning and buying service.
Somchai established 3A Marketing after his resignation from the news department of TV5, and the relationship between the two businesses is still very strong, he said.
He projected that Bright TV would break even within the next five years. The company is also planning to list on the stock exchange in 2017.
