Nation TV to get more variety, game shows

The reshuffle, which affects 30-40 per cent of the station’s programmes, tilts towards more variety and edutainment content, reducing the proportion of pure news content that had traditionally represented 90 per cent of its shows, said chief executive Adisak Limprungpatanakij.
“Many people have said Nation TV channel is serious … not fun. Actually our team are fun people.
“We hardly changed our programmes in the past 15 years, when 80-90 per cent were the same shows. But now there is intense competition in digital TV broadcasting, and many variety channels have invaded Nation TV’s sphere because of the NBTC [National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission] rule that everyone has to have at least 25 per cent news content.
“So, simply speaking, as we have been invaded [by variety channels], we will do more variety” programmes in response, he said.
Adisak said NBC was confident it could keep its existing audience base while its shift to less hard-news content would help it seize new groups of TV viewers, including families and younger consumers. The company expects to see a “noteworthy” profit for 2015.
Higher fixed costs from digital-TV licences that it won a year ago, totalling Bt12 million a month, are also a major factor prompting NBC to expand its revenue base.
The corporation will spend about Bt40 million on the production and prizes awarded to participants of its “factual game show” dubbed “The People”. Well-known actor, singer and disc jockey Piyawat “PK” Kempetch will run the show, which will air at 8pm every Sunday, beginning on June 7.
Other new programmes include “Ajarn Sam Sakod Jit”, featuring a hypnosis therapist; “Suay Lor Perfect”, a fashion talk show; “Koo Ching Koo Champ”, a daily business-news analysis programme; and “The Hacker”, featuring live hacking shows by information-technology guru Prinya Hom-anek.
Adisak said NBC and its partners would spend no less than Bt100 million for the new programmes, in addition to Bt60 million that it had invested on its new TV studio at The Coast building on Bang Na-Trat Road.
Despite the revamp, NBC will still meet the NBTC’s regulation to maintain at least 50 per cent of its airtime for news programmes, because some of the new ones should still be regarded as news and documentary content, he said.