Analog TV well on the way out, NBTC says
THE OPERATOR of Channel 7, Bangkok Broadcasting and Television (BBTV), has reached agreement with its concession owner the Royal Thai Army that the company will completely stop airing Channel 7’s programmes on the analog system before its concession with the Army ends in May 2023.
Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission’s broadcasting committee, said yesterday that Channel 7 would begin phasing out analog broadcasting in some areas of Thailand next month before going completely digital before the concession ends.
Meanwhile Channel 3 and its concession owner MCOT are still in talks on whether the broadcaster will abandon the analog system before the concession ends in March 2020. Both channels currently air programmes on both digital and analog channels.
NBT’s Channel 11 will stop analog broadcasting by December 31 this year, Thai PBS and Channel 5 by June 16, 2018, and MCOT’s Channel 9 by July 16 next year.
Currently digital TV covers 95 per cent of the population, which is more than the existing analog coverage, Natee noted.
Channel 7’s analog system is currently on the 700-megahertz frequency. Natee said that band could be used for telecom services. However, it needs to undertake frequency reallocation first.
In a separate matter, Natee said after holding discussions with communication-arts academics on Thursday on the NBTC’s plan to regulate over-the-top (OTT) service – the transmission of audio, video and other content via the Internet – the scholars suggested fair and balanced rules.
In the case of user-generated content, these consultants suggested that the NBTC regulate this through the OTT service providers.
“The scholars’ opinions and suggestions were consistent with the NBTC’s concept. Next, we will discuss the broadcasting and OTT businesses. After that, the NBTC’s subcommittee on OTT will have a draft conceptual regulatory framework ready to submit to the commission, which could come into force in July or August,” Natee said.
