Thais 'have edge' in media
APART from the automotive industry, media-oriented business is another area where Thai companies could take a lead in the region once the Asean Economic Community (AEC) is put in place next year, the head of Nielsen (Thailand) told The Nation.
Managing director Suresh Ramalingam said that compared with its neighbours, Thailand had high potential in media and entertainment businesses thanks to its diverse culture, good sources of talent and developing media ecosphere.
More than 60 per cent of total ad spending in Thailand is in television, an indication of the quality of programming, which attracts not only audiences but also advertisers.
Thanks to the advances in telecommunication technology, including third- and fourth-generation wireless broadband Internet, Thais are also consuming more TV content across platforms such as YouTube, mobile applications and Web-based services.
The arrival of 24 new commercial digital TV channels would also provide more windows for local content providers and producers, he said. The change in the Thai TV-broadcasting industry has also created a new form of competition among local players. This will help the industry to improve and develop high-quality content.
“This is a crucial moment for the media and entertainment powerhouses and also Thai film-makers to rethink how to produce their TV programme or movies,” Suresh said.
“After the AEC arrives, the 22-million-household Thai audience will appear to be not enough for local content producers. They should think about global or regional audiences, particularly young consumers.”
He said the behaviour and consumption patterns of teenagers were almost exactly the same across the world.
“They share common interests. They communicate and consume news and video online via smartphones and tablets. More important, the cyber-sphere is a borderless environment for marketers as well as content providers,” he explained.
A good example is a concert by British boy band One Direction that will be held in Thailand next year. Not surprisingly, some concert tickets were booked from neighbouring countries.
Content should be created for and delivered to multiple platforms, not only digital TV but also new media channels like mobile apps that would allow regional audiences to reach the content.
The market leader in Thailand’s Bt70-billion TV broadcasting industry is Channel 7. Chakrapun Leelamasavat, managing director of BBTV New Media, a subsidiary of the Channel 7 operator, said his company was planning to create a mobile app to provide its content to a wider audience in the limitless online market.
