Bt427m for free TV telecast
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NBTC makes sure everyone can watch World Cup
After keeping their fingers crossed for days, Thai football fans finally received the good news yesterday, as the broadcast-regulating agency resolved to make possible live free-to-view telecast of all 64 Fifa World Cup matches through a Bt427-million subsidy.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) yesterday voted 6-1 to approve the subsidy to be paid to the broadcast-rights licensee RS International Broadcasting and Sport Management to compensate for their business-opportunity loss.
NBTC secretary-general Thakorn Tantasit said six out of 11 NBTC board members voted to subsidise the live telecast of all the World Cup matches this year.
Another NBTC member abstained and three others were absent.
Thakorn yesterday said the NBTC would set up a special subcommittee to manage the subsidy and to negotiate with RS. The subcommittee consists of representatives from the Finance Ministry, the Commerce Ministry, the Budget Bureau, RS and the NBTC.
He confirmed that financial support for the deal would be partly allocated from revenue collected from fees for telecommunications and broadcasting services. Further revenue was transferred from the National Telecommun-ication Commission’s fund. The National Telecommunications Commission was the previous watchdog, replaced by the NBTC.
The deal would not draw from key NBTC funds such as the Bt15 billion raised from a recent bidding for digital TV licences and the Universal Service Obligation Fund for Telecommunication services.
The NBTC’s decision came after committee members at the Broadcasting and Telecommuni-cations Research and Develop-ment Fund for the Public Interest (BTFP) gave the green light to use its budget for the subsidy.
It will be used as a remedy scheme to offset losses made by RS, which will now be unable to sell its content-bundled set-top boxes and subscriptions, and collect its sub-licence fees from TrueVisions.
Supinya Klangnarong, an NBTC commissioner and chairperson of a subcommittee on consumer protection, mentioned via her Twitter feed that she had voted against the decision to provide the subsidy before walking out of the meeting room.
On Wednesday, RS had asked the NBTC for Bt766.5 million compensation for it to agree to the watchdog’s request to televise all World Cup matches on free TV.
The NBTC was tasked by the ruling junta to find a way to come to an agreement to benefit the general public after the Supreme Administrative Court ruled in favour of RS. The court’s verdict meant that the NBTC’s “must-have” rule that makes it mandatory for selected big events such as the World Cup to be available on free television networks would not be apply for this year’s tournament.
Thakorn explained that arrangement between the NBTC and the BTFP was made under Section 52 of the Act on Organisation to Assign Radio Frequency and to Regulate the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Services B.E. 2553 (2010). The main objectives of the BTFP were to support and protect the rights of the disabled and the less privileged to access a fair broadcasting service.
In keeping with this principle and the motto of the National Council for Peace and Order of “bringing happiness back to Thai people”, the Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Station (TV5), Channel 7 and RS Channel 8 announced a collaboration to telecast all 64 matches live from Brazil. The tournament started yesterday and ends on July 13.
Lt-General Chart-udom Tithasiri, president of the Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Station or TV5, said that his station would telecast 38 live matches via its analog terrestrial TV channel in standard definition (SD) and its digital terrestrial TV channel in high definition (HD).
Meanwhile, RS Channel 8 will broadcast 56 live matches while Channel 7 will carry 29 live matches.
RS is able to seek advertising revenue from airtime slots that have been leased to TV5 and Channel 7. Previously, RS wanted to broadcast only 22 live matches of the World Cup final via free TV channels while the remaining live matches would be available via its pay-TV service.
RS chief operating officer Pornpan Techarungchaikul said that her company would refund customers who have already purchased RS set-top boxes to watch the World Cup. Details of the refund scheme will be disclosed soon.
Saree Ongsomwang, secretary-general of the Foundation for Consumers, said it was only fair that customers who paid to watch the tournament on television should receive full refunds.
