Regulator to probe Thai TV's satellite operation
THE broadcasting regulator will investigate Thai TV Co's satellite-television operation after the company abruptly pulled the plug on its two terrestrial-based digital TV stations.
At midnight on Saturday, Thai TV Co, led by president Pantipa Sakulchai, stopped airing programmes on Thai TV and MVTV Family at its own volition.
On the same day, the company also sent letters to the Thai Public Broadcasting Service demanding the cancellation of its lease of Thai PBS’s digital-transmission network.
Viewers tuning into the channels via the digital-terrestrial system see only coloured stripes. However, the company has continued broadcasting “Thai TV news programmes” on Channel 7 of satellite-TV packages such as those sold by PSI Holdings.
A Thai TV source said the |company’s focus had now turned |to its satellite-TV business |andit planned to launch channels on that platform this year.
Sombat Leelapata, acting deputy secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, said his team would see if Thai TV’s current operation on the satellite-TV platform ran on terrestrial-based or satellite-based TV licences.
Yesterday, the NBTC suspended Thai TV’s licence for 30 days starting today.
It also sent a written demand to Thai TV for the second instalment of its upfront licence fees after the company again failed to pay them by the deadline that had been extended to 4.30pm yesterday.
The company owes the state an estimated Bt288 million for the second instalment, 7.5-per-cent interest for late payment and the annual fee.
Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the NBTC, said a |written notice would also be delivered to Thai PBS informing it |about this decision, which means that Thai PBS can suspend its provisioning of transmission services for both digital channels.
