Mobile devices drive digital-content growth

Digital content in the Thai market has an estimated value of around Bt18 billion this year, with mobile devices and 3G infrastructure both playing key roles in driving growth of between 12 and 20 per cent in the sector. 

Thailand also has high potential to provide digital-content outsourcing for the international market, according to an industry expert. 

Trirat Chatkaew, director of the Software Industry Promotion Agency (Sipa), said the digital-content market in Thailand offered great potential for continuous high growth, largely because of the growing trend for mobile devices, which are changing people’s lifestyle and behaviour as they increasingly access information and other content via such gadgets. 

Moreover, the broadband network now offers high speed, which allows users to more easily access digital content over the Internet. 

He added that companies were now making much more use of digital content such as advertising, short movies, presentations and 3D animation to present and promote their businesses, while “edutainment” also has an important role in driving digital content in the Kingdom. 

“The agency [Sipa] expects the digital-content industry in terms of animation and gaming in Thailand this year will be worth around Bt18 billion, comprising Bt10 billion from animation and Bt8 billion from gaming. The industry overall will grow by around 12-15 per cent this year. 

“Thai digital-content developers also have a good opportunity to provide outsourcing services and develop content to support companies in countries such as South Korea, China and Japan, as well as European countries,” said Trirat. 

The Thai digital-content industry in the next three to five years will have an annual value of about Bt30 billion, he said. 

 

Support from Sipa

His agency, meanwhile, will drive and assist local developers of products and services to support both the local and international markets via a digital-content contest in categories such as education, short movies and advertising. 

Sipa will also provide matching funds and facilitate business-matching in the near future. 

Kittipong Prucksa-Aroon, deputy managing director of Asia Soft, said the overall digital-content market is showing continuous growth, especially the mobile-gaming segment as more people use their devices to play games on the go. 

The company plans to make its “Ragnarok II” game available on mobile devices by the end of the year, as well as announcing up to eight popular games to the Thai market. 

Asia Soft will utilise the social-media platform, which is the new business model for supporting gamers, of which there are around 40 million in the Thai market, he said.

The company will also expand its business base in Myanmar, as well as turning its attention to Indonesia and the Philippines, since they are seen as high-potential markets in the next three to five years, he added.

Lak Taechawancha, managing director of Imagine Design, said the Thai digital-content market would grow by 12-20 per cent annually, with digital content now increasingly reaching all segments of business, enabling companies, for example, to offer customers e-magazines as well traditional publications and to expand and promote their content to users anywhere, anytime. 

Imagine Design now also engages in co-production with companies in Malaysia and South Korea to develop TV series to support both the local and international markets. 

It will also be officially announcing “Muay Thai Act 3D” animation to promote the Thai martial art to the global and local markets. It plans to license the animated content to the international market, said the MD. 

“I think the digital-content market in Thailand will continue to expand due to the growth of smart phones and other mobile devices, which will make it easier to access digital content anytime, anywhere, and businesses will create advertising and provide much more content to their customers. 

“However, local developers also need support from the government sector and a road map to support digital-content development in the nation as a whole,” said Lak. 

Meanwhile, Permbun Aimsupasit, managing director of Advance Intelligence Modernity, said the information-technology industry in Thailand was now in the post-PC era, with people increasingly using their mobile devices to access digital content and knowledge. 

In light of the new trend in consumer IT behaviour, the company will come out with a new mobile game for users of smart phones and tablet devices, releasing it via digital distribution and with cloud-computing support. 

Advance Intelligence Modernity’s “War Wolf” will hit the market by year-end, said Permbun. 

The company’s managing director predicted the digital-content market between 2013 and 2016 would grow by about 13.6 per cent per year on average, with the greatest potential being for mobile device-based content.