Pay-TV operators will have to stop carrying TV Channel 3 on Sept 30 unless an agreement is reached with regulators before then.
The deadline was confirmed on Friday by Thakoon Tanthasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). The date marks 15 days from the date that satellite and cable operators received a formal letter from the regulator about its decision.
The NBTC has singled out Channel 3 for punishment because it has failed to make its analogue programming available on the digital TV platform. Channel 3 says it cannot do so for legal and business reasons, and that in any case its analogue broadcasting concession has until 2020 to run.
An earlier NBTC resolution to help promote the adoption of digital broadcasting compelled all free-to-air TV stations to also offer their programming on digital channels. Any that did not would lose their free-TV status and pay-TV companies would no longer be obliged to carry their analogue signals. All of them complied except Channel 3.
Currently, Thailand has 22.9 million households that can watch TV on all platforms: terrestrial, satellite and cable. About 70% use satellite or cable services.
Several rounds of talks with excecutives or BEC World, the Channel 3 operator, have failed to reach an agreement.
Channel 3 said it was willing to simulcast on both analogue and digital platforms if the NBTC compensated it for all expenses incurred, a condition the regulator find unacceptable.
The NBTC also announced on Friday that it would mail out the first lot of 690-baht discount coupons to 4.64 million households on Oct 10 as part of its promotion of digital broadcasting. The coupons can be used for the purchase of set-top boxes or digital-ready TV sets.
The coupons will go to households in 21 provinces: Bangkok (1.34 million), Nonthaburi (326,535), Nakhon Pathom (192,886), Pathum Thani (291,930), Samut Prakan (300,405), Samut Sakhon (108,247), Ayutthaya (193,629), Sing Buri (48,111), Ang Thong (66,670), Rayong (149,204), Suphan Buri (191,890), Nong Khai (101,204), Sukhothai (138,453), Udon Thani (292,696), Chachoengsao (143,883), Samut Songkhram (42,174), Phatthalung (121,792), Songkhla (276,937), Nakhon Nayok (59,171), Ratchaburi (171,291) and Chai Nat (82,246).