NBTC board nods to Bt2.5-billion aid for digital TV broadcasters
THE BOARD of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission yesterday approved in principle the proposal of the broadcasting committee to subsidise digital-TV broadcasters’ costs of transmitting their programmes to satellite and cable platforms for three years at a total cost of Bt2.5 billion.
The NBTC board asked the broadcasting panel to consider three issues: the source of funding, legal aspects, and whether the companies providing transmission services to the broadcasters could be asked to lower their fees.
The broadcasting committee will submit its conclusions on these issues to the NBTC board before this December this month, NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said.
He said that under the proposal, the |subsidy would be Bt837.42 million a |year including value-added tax for three years.
The subsidy scheme, aimed at easing the financial burden of digital-TV broadcasters, is expected to begin next year.
Besides broadcasting programmes via the terrestrial system, the digital-TV broadcasters are required to send their programmes to the cable and satellite platforms as well, under the NBTC’s “must carry” rule to enable all platforms to access free TV channels on and equal basis.
The digital-TV operators have been responsible for the cost.
The broadcasting committee approved providing financial support to the broadcasters on Monday and submitted the plan to the NBTC board yesterday.
The total expenditure of all 26 digital-TV channels for sending their standard-definition (SD) programmes via Ku- and C-band satellite systems to other TV platforms is estimated at about Bt400 million a year.
If the transmission of high-definition (HD) shows is included, the total cost is around Bt800 million per year.
Ten of the country’s digital-TV channels are categorised as HD. They transmit their HD signals to terrestrial TV receivers, while SD signals are provided to satellite TV receivers to control costs.
Help sought
The digital-TV operators have been asking the NBTC to help them find ways to ease their financial burdens amid business difficulties.
The broadcasting committee held an auction in December 2013 that resulted in the granting of 24 digital-TV licences to 17 winning bidders in April 2014.
Their total value of the licence payments is Bt50.86 billion, spread over six years.
Now there are only 16 operators left after the regulator decided to revoke two digital-TV licences held by Thai TV Co after the company’s refusal to pay the second instalment of its upfront licence fees late last |year.
