Thai PBS seeks new lessor for digital TV
THAI PUBLIC Broadcasting Service might welcome another commercial broadcaster as a new lessor for its digital television-transmission network, which would take revenue for this business to more than Bt500 million this year.
“We are talking with a couple of commercial digital-TV operators on standard definition and high definition that are keen on changing their network provider to us,” Krissada Raungarreerat director-general of the station, said last week.
Thai PBS has enough network capacity to accommodate three more standard-definition (SD) channels or one high-definition (HD) channel.
BEC-Multimedia runs three digital TV channels – 33HD, 3SD and 3 Family – on Thai PBS’s network, while RS Television runs Channel 8.
Thai PBS also broadcasts on its own network.
Springnews SD TV and Thairath HD TV channels have reportedly wanted to move from MCOT’s transmission network – one of four nationwide – to another network because the quality provided by MCOT does not meet its expectations.
Piset Chiyasak, director and acting president of MCOT, said it had been in contact with those clients and discussions seemed to be constructive.
Krissada said Thai PBS underlined quality of service. Its broadcasting network offered the best service from 84 installed broadcasting stations and a promise to cover 95 per cent of the nation’s households by June.
It is in accordance with the regulator’s guidelines, he said.
The negotiations with the new clients are continuing and are expected to be finalised soon. However, Thai PBS has to consider this business carefully because of its plan to launch its own family channel in the near future.
“If we agree to accommodate a new HD client, we have to sacrifice all available bandwidth for this one. The Thai PBS family channel might lease a new transmission slot from other network service providers,” he said.
Last year, Thai PBS generated about Bt400 million in revenue.
