Thai digital TV operators turn to PM as 2029 licence deadline nears

Thailand’s digital TV operators are preparing to seek help from Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul after years of uncertainty over the industry’s future, warning that the absence of a post-2029 roadmap is leaving broadcasters, media workers and advertisers unable to plan ahead.

The move comes as existing digital TV licences approach expiry in April 2029.

Operators have repeatedly pressed the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) for clarity on what comes next, including whether there will be a new auction, an alternative licensing model or a broader transition plan for the television industry.

Suparp Khleekajai, president of the Association of Digital Television Broadcasting, said the association and operators had agreed in principle to request a meeting with the prime minister to ask him to help break the deadlock.

He said broadcasters had tried to work within the regulatory system, respecting the NBTC’s role as the independent body responsible for spectrum allocation.

But after years of waiting, and after advice from a former NBTC secretary-general, operators now felt they had little choice but to look for another channel of support.

Suparp stressed that any approach to the government would be made openly, not through private lobbying.

He said the industry had long been reluctant to involve politicians because spectrum is a national asset and the NBTC is supposed to be the responsible regulator.

The association recently submitted a letter to the NBTC setting a June 30, 2026 deadline for clarity on the digital TV master plan.

If no progress is made by then, operators are expected to consider several steps, including meeting the prime minister and seeking legal remedies.

A similar warning was issued last week, when media organisations led by the Association of Digital Television Broadcasting called on the NBTC to issue a post-2029 master plan covering future licensing, service structures, fair competition rules, free-TV access and technological transition.

The association also urged the regulator to bring OTT and digital platforms under fairer rules and cost obligations.

Suparp said the forum on the delayed digital TV roadmap and OTT regulation was not intended to attack the NBTC, but to reflect growing concern that the industry could face collapse if the regulator continues to delay decisions.

He questioned why the NBTC had still not produced a clear roadmap despite earlier assurances that the matter would be expedited.

The issue, he said, had repeatedly appeared on meeting agendas, only to be postponed, skipped or left unresolved.

The first answers operators want by June 30 include whether a new auction will be held, who would be eligible to bid, what will happen to multiplex transmission networks, whether the public will still be able to watch free TV, and whether a national streaming platform will be developed.

The uncertainty is already affecting business planning across the industry.

Broadcasters cannot give clear answers to staff about whether they should prepare for a continuing digital TV model or shift fully online, while the absence of cross-platform ratings also complicates advertising decisions by agencies and media buyers.

Suparp said tens of thousands of people working in the industry were being affected because the seven-member NBTC board had yet to give a clear answer.

He also pointed to internal divisions within the regulator, saying disagreements between telecoms and broadcasting sides had made decisions harder to reach.

The pressure on the NBTC comes after more than a decade of disruption for Thai digital TV operators.

The industry launched after expensive licence auctions, then faced the political shock of the 2014 coup and years of digital disruption as viewers and advertising money moved towards online and streaming platforms.

The NBTC has previously acknowledged that OTT platforms such as YouTube, video streaming services and IPTV have significantly changed audience behaviour, while the commission has also studied possible online migration and a national streaming platform for Thai television after the current licences expire.

Media groups have warned that the issue goes beyond business survival.

A recent joint call by eight professional organisations said continued delay could hurt long-term investment, media employment, education planning and public access to reliable free-TV information, especially during crises or disasters.

Suparp said operators had already endured the impact of political upheaval and digital disruption, but now needed a regulator or policymaker willing to help solve the structural problem.

He ended with a direct question for the prime minister: would the government allow digital TV to collapse under his administration?