Five digital TV channel operators missed yesterday's deadline to submit requests to the broadcasting regulator for extending the payment period for the fourth instalment of digital TV auction fees.
The five channels -- BBTV's Channel 7, Workpoint TV, True4U, Spring News and Thai News Network's TNN -- did not show up yesterday, which was the last day for seeking the payment extension, said Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
The five operators therefore have to follow the existing rules by paying the fourth instalment of auction fees in full today.
Workpoint TV's chief operating officer Chalakorn Panyashom said his channel did not to extend the auction fee payment period because the digital TV operation has been doing well.
"We don't want to be charged interest, so we decided to pay on the due date today and will pay the fifth and last instalments on time," he said.
Last year, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha exercised Section 44 of the interim constitution to extend the auction fee payment period for digital TV operators to help them survive.
By doing so, they had a chance to improve their financial situation and produce new content.
Digital TV operators are allowed to divide their fourth payment of auction fees into two instalments a year, but they have to pay interest at a rate of 1.5% a year.
Similar payments are also allowed for the fifth and sixth instalments.
The NBTC granted 24 digital TV channel licences to 17 winning bidders in April 2014. The winners have to pay a combined 50.9 billion baht in auction fees that are spread out over six years. The fourth payment is due today, the fifth in May 2018 and the last in May 2019.
In line with the prime minister's order, the regulator started taking payment extension requests, with yesterday being the last day for such proposals.
Up to now, Thai TV Co, led by media veteran Pantipa Sakulchai, had been the first digital TV operator to throw in the towel, as it faced massive losses exceeding 300 million baht from running two digital TV channels.
The ailing company defaulted on its second instalment of auction fees in May 2015 and stopped broadcasting the two channels in December of that year.