Viewership of digital TV channels sees big increase

NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasit said yesterday that the viewer base on the digital terrestrial TV platform was growing, particularly after coupons to help cover the cost of digital receivers were given away by the broadcasting regulator.

Since the official launch of digital terrestrial TV in April, these channels’ audience base has risen to 24 per cent of the Kingdom’s 23.5 million households, or 14.5 million viewers, up 7 per cent since the launch, Takorn said. This figure excludes Channel 3, Channel 7 and Modernine TV, which simulcast their analog TV programmes on the digital platform.

Takorn explained that this was mainly the result of new quality programmes aired by major players Workpoint Creative TV, GMM Grammy’s One channel and RS Channel 8.

"Another key driver is the NBTC’s Bt690 vouchers being provided to every household since October for the purchase of digital TV set-top boxes or TV sets with built-in digital tuners," he added.

So far, 3.57 million of the 7.7 million coupons given away by the watchdog have been used towards the purchase of digital TV receivers. But there are no details about the exact number of digital receivers that have been installed for watching programmes on the 24 digital terrestrial channels.

With a growing audience base and new quality content, he believes that the leading digital TV operators will have the potential to raise their advertising rates, to an average rate of Bt50,000 per minute.

The data and information provided by the watchdog were based on various sources, including Nielsen Thailand, leading media agencies and the NBTC’s in-house data.

Last week, the Media Agency Association of Thailand (MAAT) revealed its forecasts on this year’s media industry. The association expected to see a 4.5-per-cent increase in advertising spending this year to Bt141 billion, mainly encouraged by a growing terrestrial-based digital TV business and the digital media boom.

The association’s forecast was mainly based on macroeconomic growth and developments in the media industry.

MAAT president Wannee Ruttanaphon, who is also chairwoman of IPG Mediabrands, said that among key media, terrestrial-based digital TV, digital media and transit continued to enjoy growth, similar to last year’s trend.

She explained that TV remained a key medium for brands and advertisers to reach a mass audience. This media segment represents more than 60 per cent of the total industry.

Current analog free TV channels are being challenged by digital TV broadcasters. MAAT director Ratthakorn Surbsuk, who is a trading partner at GroupM Thailand, said the association expected to see a very small advertising-rate increase on traditional analog TV stations while digital channels had the potential to boost their rates by as much as 40 per cent.