True4U budgets Bt2 bn to upgrade sport, entertainment programming
TRUE4U STATION, the operator of digital TV channel 24, has earmarked more than Bt2 billion this year to strengthen its position as a leader in sport and entertainment programming to generate at least Bt1 billion in annual revenue.
Naetchanok Wipatasinlapin, managing director of True4U Station, said yesterday that her company this year was focusing more on sport and entertainment programmes to attract mass audiences in the provinces by dedicating more airtime for live sports tournaments, game shows, dramas, TV series and movies.
In addition to this content strategy, the company will prepare a series of on-ground activities both to promote the TV station and engage with audiences.
Of the total expenditure on this year’s programmes, Bt700 million will be for sports content and licences to telecast more than 200 matches, followed by Bt700 million for local TV dramas and series and Bt600 million for game shows.
“This reflects our ambitious goal to be a leading sports and entertainment channel, and we hope to become No 3 in the digital-TV business by the end of this year,” Naetchanok said.
True4U channel will offer sports content on up to 40 per cent of its total airtime, an increase from last year’s 30 per cent. Entertainment programmes, including TV dramas and game shows, will account for 30 per cent, up from 20 per cent last year. The remaining airtime will be dedicated for news and children’s and family programmes.
She said the company believed that this strategy would help raise the average rating for its digital TV station to 0.5 point this year from 0.2 point in 2015.
True4U channel targets Bt1 billion in revenue, compared with Bt700 million last year.
Meanwhile, True4U Station may join TrueVisions Group’s appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court after the broadcasting regulator last month decided to punish the country’s biggest pay-TV operator for allotting digital-TV channel numbers as it chooses, reserving |channels 11 to 46 for digital stations.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission has ordered consistent channel numbering by all platforms of digital stations from number 1 to 36.
TrueVisions also faces NBTC penalties for placing some digital channels such as True4U and TNN 24 outside the permitted areas for digital free-to-air channels.
Last year, TrueVisions, True4U and TNN24 took this matter to the Central Administrative Court as they opposed this order, but the court ruled in favour of the NBTC.
“Discussion among management teams about this issue is still under way.
“We hope that we can find a way to compromise with the NBTC. If not, we might appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court soon,” Naetchanok said.
