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Baht/$ 34.23/25 (Bid/Ask)
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GOLD |
13,350
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BROADCASTING
SRISAMORN PHOOSUPHANUSORN
TrueIPTV Co, the internet-protocol television (IPTV) arm of True Corp, is resuming aggressive marketing for its digital TV operations after completing business and organisational restructuring.
The unit of True Digital Entertainment Co has a new shareholding structure, a clearer business role and definition of the target market segments for IPTV and TrueVisions' conventional cable and satellite Pay-TV services.
Paisit Vatjanapagorn, general manager and director for broadband, broadcast and multimedia of True Corp, said TrueIPTV was relaunching itself as a ''premium service'' targeting affluent Thais and foreigners living in Bangkok.
TrueVisions is now repositioned for wider mass-market appeal, having done well in cross-selling budget packages to True Move mobile phone users.
The new strategy gives a clear role to each business under the True umbrella in order to eliminate duplication of services and customer groups, said Mr Paisit.
It will also support the company's overall convergence strategy by blending content across different telecommunications channels, separating service areas and regrouping customer segments. ''In term of convergence, we mean one plus one equals two or more, not one or 1.5,'' he said.
Given True's diversity of products and services, Mr Paisit admitted that it had been affected by the convergence strategy, giving IPTV and cable as examples.
After slowing down IPTV marketing for one year, he said the company was now ready to revive the business. It is offering 12 channels including multi-language soundtracks, knowledge-based programmes and karaoke-on-demand.
TrueIPTV, delivered over broadband internet via fixed telephone lines, enables users to watch TV and real-time video-on-demand while simultaneously making telephone calls and surfing the Net.
''We expect to double our subscriber base to 6,000 early next year, with average revenue per user of 300 to 400 baht a month,'' he said. ''The figure could reach 100,000 over the next three years.''
However, the target would still be far short of its initial target of 300,000 subscribers expected by the end of last year.
Mr Paisit conceded that IPTV was not a mass-market product with a nationwide audience and would be limited for now to a small niche market in the city.
The company plans to pitch IPTV services to its existing base of two million fixed-line users, 600,000 high-speed broadband customers and 600,000 pay-TV subscribers.
He also said that TrueIPTV could start to turn a profit once its subscriber base reaches 6,000.
True shares closed on Friday on the SET at 2.64 baht, up eight satang, in trade worth 62.9 million baht.
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