Five TV stations sue NBTC over 'negligent' digital transition

In their petition to the Central Administrative Court for compensation, they also accused the NBTC of still not delivering on an array of promises, such as to subsidise the purchase of digital receivers by distributing coupons to all 22.8 million households. Only 13.5 million vouchers were given to households by the commission. 

PPTV was seeking Bt3.46 billion in compensation, GMM Grammy’s One Bt1.87 billion and Thairath TV about Bt3 billion for opportunity losses arising from the delay in the roll-out of the digital TV network under the NBTC.

The three stations, along with BrightTV and GMM Grammy’s other digital TV channel – GMM – blame the regulator |for their losses, said Suksawat Watewai, |a partner of the international law firm Baker & McKenzie, which is representing the group.

The group also complained that since the new digital service started operating, public awareness about this transition remained limited, while the Bt63.5-million nationwide public relations campaign to promote digital TV has not been kicked off yet and is now more than a year and a half behind its original schedule. 

Another issue involved TV audience ratings. 

The group was also frustrated with the NBTC’s policy on channel numbering in commercial terrestrial-based digital TV service. They claimed the commission vowed to set a single standard of channel numbering across all platforms. The highest bidders in each category of the late-2013 auction for the 24 commercial digital TV licences were supposed to get first rights to choose their channel number. Such conditions caused each bidder to race for a better chance to select its preferred channel number at a huge investment. 

Wasin Leotwalaipong, another lawyer from Baker & McKenzie, said the group also requested the postponement of the third instalment on the up-front licence fee as a remedy.