Mushroom to up output, eyes MAI
Expecting rising demand from digital TV broadcasters, production company Mushroom Television is targeting revenue of Bt400 million within three years before listing on the stock market.
Starting from three staff with Bt35,000 in seed funding in 2003, the company entered the television business by producing and supplying a lifestyle programme for True Inside channel. This May, Post Publishing decided to invest Bt100 million in the company by purchasing a 51-per-cent stake, raising its registered capital from Bt1 million to Bt80 million.
Akarat Nitibhon, managing director of Mushroom Television, said the capital injection would allow his team to create more projects, particularly production for digital-TV broadcasters that want quality content to attract both viewers and advertisers.
Currently, the company produces nine TV programmes for six stations: Thairath TV, True4U, Channel 3, Channel 9 MCOT, PPTV and True Inside.
Akarat, 35, said that next year his company would continue to work with those TV stations but the number of programmes would increase to 17 a week, including episodes of the business talk show "Ayu Noi 100 Lan". The programme is now telecast on Channel 9 MCOT.
To enhance audience engagement, the company is working with event-management firm Index Creative Village to organise a series of seminars, workshops and overseas familiarisation trips for those who are keen on starting their own business. The collaboration will be operated under the moniker "Ayu Noi 100 Lan Academy".
Mushroom Television is also planning to produce five pocketbooks about the success stories of selected guests on the "Ayu Noi 100 Lan" TV show.
The company targets Bt230 million in revenue next year. Of that, Bt120 million will be from TV production, Bt42 million from services such as corporate presentations, and the rest from the academy and its publishing and media services.
For this year, the company aims at Bt160 million revenue from Bt77.15 million last year. Of total income in 2014, 51 per cent came from TV production, 21.5 per cent from service production and 3.2 per cent from media service and the rest from others.
Akarat said he had been inspired by TV Thunder, another content producer that listed on the Market for Alternative Investment (MAI) early this year. Therefore, by 2018, he also wants to list his growing empire on the MAI.
