NBTC approves lower Tv licence fees
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) board yesterday approved the new lower rates for the annual licence fees of TV broadcasters in a move to help ease the burden on the terrestrial digital TV operators, according to secretary general Takorn Tantasith.
The new rates will be put to a public hearing soon. They are expected to take effect in December, Takorn added.
Under the new rates, those licence holders with annual revenue not exceeding Bt100 million will be subject to an annual fee of 0.125 per cent of this amount, while 0.25 per cent will be the rate applied for those with annual revenue of between Bt100 million and Bt500 million.
The fee rate rises to 0.5 per cent for those with annual revenue of between Bt500 million and Bt1 billion, and 0.75 per cent for those licence holders with annual revenue of between Bt1 billion and Bt5 billion.
Licence holders with annual revenue of over Bt5 billion will be subject to a fee rate of 1.5 per cent.
Under the outgoing fee structure, the NBTC charged a fee based on 0.5 per cent of operators’ annual revenue up to Bt5 million, with a rate of 0.75 per cent for those with revenue of between Bt5 million and Bt50 million. Revenue of between Bt50 million and Bt500 million triggered a 1 per cent rate, with 1.75 per cent applied to revenue of between Bt500 million and Bt1 billion. Operators with revenue that exceeded Bt1 billion had been subject to a 2 per cent rate.
DTAC PROFIT DROPS 8.8%
Third-quarter net profit dropped 8.8 per cent year on year at Total Access Communication (DTAC), to Bt601 million. Quarter on quarter, it declined 19 per cent.
The telecommunications company cited higher depreciation and amortisation charges from network investment.
According to a filing with the Stock Exchange of Thailand yesterday, it will cope with uncertainties related to the end of its concession in 2018 by focusing on generating adequate cash flow from operations to maintain a flexible financial position.
It has maintained the 2017 capital expenditure guidance in a range of between Bt17 billion and Bt20 billion and maintained 2017 guidance on service revenues, excluding network interconnection revenue, at the same level as the previous year.
DTAC’s share price dropped 1.88 per cent to close at Bt52.25 yesterday.
