Twenty-four digital-TV channel operators yesterday agreed to establish a professional association to strengthen their self-regulation and TV ratings system within the next two or three months.
During the initial stage, their collaboration will be in the form of a club and will then become the Association of Digital Terrestrial TV Channel Operators after the legal process is finalised in the next few months.
Supap Kleekrajai, acting chairman of the Digital Terrestrial TV Channel Operators Club, said the club’s emerging mission is to drive public awareness about digital TV and digitisation. The majority of Thais still lack a clear understanding of digital TV and how to watch it.
"We're concerned about the lack of public awareness about digital TV, which will be broadcast in the next 40 days. Sufficient public awareness means digital TV will survive on the first day of broadcast with some viewership," said the director of THV Channel.
The club has called on the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to be the campaign host to promote public awareness and understanding about digital TV. So far, the NBTC has done very little to promote digital-TV awareness.
Secondly, the club requires a clarification of licence life span as many operators acknowledge they will have negative performances during the first few years of operations.
For the long term, the club will strengthen self regulation for members such as content, ethics and code of conduct as well as human resources development in the broadcasting industry.
Furthermore, the TV ratings measurement is another concern for digital-TV operators as they want to ensure the ratings system is accurate and clear. The club will discuss this issue with the Media Agency Association of Thailand.
Anek Permvongseni, the president of MCOT Plc and a co-founder of the club, said the 24 digital-TV operators also want a new TV ratings measurement different from the existing one by TV research company Nielsen Thailand.
They are studying the best practice of TV ratings measurement in the UK and will implement it here.
Col Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the NBTC’s broadcasting committee, said once digital TV is on air, its awareness and set-top box sales will rapidly increase as viewers will gain some experience with it.
The recent amendment of the must-carry rule and simulcast period will speed up the migration from analogue to digital.