Thai media businesses riding a high

Back in July, the country’s leading entertainment empire, Kantana Group, established a historic joint venture with Nippon Television Network Corp and Nikkatsu Corp in Tokyo.

Listed on Japan’s stock exchange, the JV – Kantana Japan Corp – will play a key part in film co-production and the development of intellectual property (IP) to reach the global market.  

The JV has registered capital of 100 million yen (Bt27 million), with Nikkatsu holding 51 per cent of the shares, while Kantana Group holds 39 per cent and Nippon TV has 10 per cent.

Surachedh Assawaruenganun, chief executive officer for film business at Kantana Group, told The Nation that this was a long-term commitment. 

Kantana aims to create films, television content and IP together with its Japanese partners and help each other to sell and distribute the content across the Asia-Pacific in the near future, he said.

Kantana Group manages more than 10 animated movies a year and offers post-production services to clients from up to 40 countries.

Through the partnership, the company wants to have deeper collaboration with international media companies for co-production as well as content distribution. 

Surachedh said his company would offer the best-quality service for its Japanese partners, while Nikkatsu would bring more assignments from its clients in Japan.

Also in July, Thailand’s largest movie chain, Major Cineplex Group, announced a 70:30 joint venture with Phnom Penh-based Platinum Cineplex to build 50 cinemas in the Cambodian capital within next five years. 

This is a part of an ambitious plan by Major Cineplex to invest with its partners in 100 cinemas in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar by 2020.

Major Cineplex chose Cambodia as its first market in the CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) countries and expects to invest Bt500 million for the 50 cinemas.

Chairman Vicha Poolvaraluck said his next destinations would be Laos and Myanmar.

Indonesian tycoon Raam Punjabi, the owner of Platinum Cineplex, said that under the partnership with Major Cineplex, its first cinema with five screens would open at the Vientiane Centre shopping mall in the Xaysettha district of Laos by the end of this year. 

The cinema at this high-profile shopping mall will cost about Bt100 million. 

Meanwhile, a project in Myanmar will be announced and opened this year.

Vicha said the new cinemas in the CLMV market would be key outlets in the bid to distribute Thai movies in the area. 

Under his company’s wing, M39, Talent One and M Picture Entertainment have set their sights on producing and supplying movies for all Major Cineplex’s theatres.   

In response to this development, Visoot Poolvaraluk, co-chief executive officer at GMM Tai Hub – a leading filmmaker – said last month that the expansion of Thai movie chains such as Major Cineplex in neighbouring countries would open more doors for Thai film companies to explore new business opportunities and viewer bases.

“Thai movies are not only popular among Thais, but also in many countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar,” he said.

 

Myanmar TV joint venture

Another major deal was announced in September, with Tee Entertainment inking an agreement with Yangon-based Shwe Than Lwin Media to form a 70:30 joint venture to produce TV programmes, organise events and sell sponsorship packages in Myanmar for the English Premier League’s current soccer season. 

The JV, Tee Entertainment Myanmar, has registered capital of Bt10 million.

Shwe Than Lwin Media operates Shwe FM, a nationwide radio station, three free-to-air TV channels – Myanmar National TV (MNTV), Myanmar International TV and Channel 9 – and SkyNet, a subscriber-based satellite-TV service. In an interview last month, Somchai Cheewasutthanon, chief executive officer of Tee Entertainment, said that after running the new business with his Myanmar partner, the new company anticipated good feedback from local audiences. 

For this year, he said Tee Entertainment Myanmar already had assignments to increase the number of daily TV shows it produces from two to four. 

The shows targets music lovers, teenagers and sports fans for SkyNet, with the programmes rebroadcast on MNTV and Channel 9, he added.