SET-listed MCOT Plc, the state-owned broadcaster, is investigating an issue related to a cooking pan made by Korea King, whose TV commercials air mainly on the MCOT HD channel.
MCOT president Kemmatat Paladesh said the station has launched a probe into whether an advertised Korea King cooking pan is overpriced.
"We will also check details about Korea King's TV commercials, such as the airtime rate and the ad agency who made the commercial," Mr Kemmatat said.
MCOT scheduled a meeting with Korea King executives on May 16 to find a solution to the complaint.
Questions about Korea King's pan and ad claims went viral on social media this week. A person posted on Facebook that a Korea King pan was sold for only 600 baht in Singapore, prompting readers to widely criticise the pan.
Korea King is getting dinged for selling its pans for different prices.
Yesterday, TV news presenter Kasemsant Weerakun said on his Facebook page that the pan's import cost including VAT was 358 baht.
A statement from Korea King Thailand said the pan mentioned in Singapore is an economy model, which is different from the one sold in Thailand. The economy model is made with a different technology and is no longer produced in South Korea, it said.
The Consumer Protection Board also asked Korea King executives to meet its officials to clarify the pan cost and pricing structure on May 17.
At MCOT, the channel reported that Korea King's TV commercials were broadcast for longer than one minute during the prime-time period.
"Do you know running a TV commercial longer than one minute during prime time has a big impact on audiences? We have to be very careful about this kind of ad," Mr Kemmatat said.
"If we find out the Korea King pan is overpriced, we won't allow the brand to run its exaggerated ads on our channel any more."
Korea King hired Vuthithorn "Woody" Milintachinda, the talk show host, as brand ambassador.
MCOT said the MCOT HD channel censors its own ad content because it believes the channel provides knowledge to society.
Mr Kemmatat said MCOT needs the massive income from advertisers like Korea King, but if a client's commercial violates the channel's business ethics, MCOT will drop it because it could damage the channel's image.
The latest survey from Nielsen Thailand said Korea King was the top advertising spender in March, paying 191 million baht, up over 50 million year-on-year. Second was Oppo smartphone with 113 million, then Toyota with 105 million.
Korea King has been the top ad spending brand since last year, despite a 12% dip in total ad spending on all media outlets in 2016.
Mr Kemmatat urged TV audiences to think twice before believing the content of TV commercials.
In a recent Korea King TV commercial, the Diamond Series cooking pan is claimed to be priced at 12,000 baht. If TV audiences buy it via the home shopping channel, it will cost about 3,800 baht, and they get one free pan.
This offer puts the price of one pan at 1,700-1,800 baht.
MCOT shares closed yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 12.10 baht, down 20 satang, in trade worth 1.8 million baht.