THAI looks to score with World Cup tilt
THE NATIONAL Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) board is expected to consider this week an imminent request from Thai Airways International (THAI) for a permit to telecast live the 2018 FIFA World Cup on board in its international flights.
NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said yesterday that the national carrier last week consulted with the NBTC on whether it needs to apply for an NBTC permit to enable it to air the World Cup matches as on-board entertainment.
The watchdog replied to THAI that the airline needs to apply for the permit and should hurry up to do so.
The World Cup tournament will begin on June 14 and end on July 15.
In a separate matter, the NBTC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) jointly removed a number of what they deemed to be inappropriate advertisements for products on two TV channels, 10 satellite TV channels, and 20 websites from May 15-18.
Most of the advertisements that were pulled related to food and cosmetics and were judged to have conveyed misleading information about the products.
The removal of the advertisements marks a continuation of concerted efforts by the FDA and NBTC to tackle the problem of inappropriate advertising for products on TV and social media channels.
The FDA and the NBTC early this month agreed to work together more closely to monitor the claims made in advertisement for products not approved by the FDA and withdraw the offending ads, along with those for products that make exaggerated claims.
Accordingly, the agencies removed a number of such advertisements on digital and cable TV channels, radio stations, and websites from May 4-15.
