Truevisions fights to overcome EPL loss | Bangkok Post: learning

About television & sports

Losing television rights for most important football league makes keeping high-end subscribers & even survival difficult for TrueVisions.

A celebrity greets fans at the briefing for TrueVisions’ new low-end package at CentralWorld yesterday. (Photo: Natthiti Ampriwan).

Click button to listen to Football Pay-TV download

Telecommunications

True cuts basic package by 40%

Looking for salve following loss of EPL
8/01/2013

TrueVisions, the country's largest pay-TV operator, is extending its cable service to the mass market with a price cut of 40% for its low-end package.

The strategic move is aimed at boosting the subscriber base of its cheapest True Knowledge package by 30% to 100,000 by the end of this year...X

...after losing the English Premier League football broadcasting rights for 2013-16, TrueVisions needs to create some innovative strategies to retain customers...

The company has previously partnered with more than 150 cable operators nationwide to expand audiences for 30 exclusive channels on the TrueVisions platform.

The price of its True Knowledge package is being slashed from 495 to 299 baht a month for customers signing up for the company's service for the first time. The rate includes VAT and installation costs.

With the new offerings, Mr Anat said customers can view 78 channels. In April, the figure will rise to 90 channels including high-definition channels.

Viewers can add more viewing choices by paying an additional 155 baht a month for another set-top box.

Mr Anat said the new package targets people who have never signed up for TrueVisions' services and those households that still use antennas to receive broadcasting signals.

Mr Anat said TrueVisions will automatically upgrade its existing True Knowledge subscribers to its Super Sports package by offering 83 channels, three of which will have high definition.

The high-definition channels will be TNN24, True Sport HD2 and a golf channel.

Mr Anat said TrueVisions plans to spend 500 million baht this year to upgrade its high-definition set-top box technology.

High-definition channels will be the company's strategic move to match increasing demand and the global industry trend.

"We aim to significantly increase the number of our high-definition channels from the existing 17," Mr Anat said.

TrueVisions has been in talks with Thaicom Plc, the country's sole satellite service provider, to acquire more transponders to increase broadcasting capacity.

Even though the situation is not favourable, TrueVisions must provide its best service to audiences with a planned budget of 5 billion baht this year as it is a crucial factor in the business surviving, Mr Anat said.

TrueVisions has been facing tough time convincing investors how it could sustain future revenue from high-end subscribers after losing the EPL right to the newcomer Cable Thai Holding Plc.

The EPL has long been TrueVision's edge over other cable TV operators, enabling it to maintain the number of regular subscribers even though its membership fees are far higher than those of other pay-TV operators.

TrueVisions still has the broadcasting right for the Uefa Champions League until 2015.

RS Plc, its competitor, has the broadcasting right for the Spanish La Liga while GMM Grammy holds the rights for major soccer matches such as Germany's Bundesliga, the English League Cup and the French League. Channel 7 holds the right for the FA Cup.

True Corp, its parent firm, reported to the Stock Exchange of Thailand that TrueVisions' third quarter revenue last year rose by 6.4% compared to the same period of 2011 to 2.6 billion baht.

The rise in revenue was due to its reality show Academy Fantasia Season 9 as well as the new hit programme Voice Thailand and growing advertising revenue. TrueVisions has around 2 million subscribers at present.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Telecommunications, True cuts basic package by 40%, Looking for salve following loss of EPL, 8/01/2013, link) 


Cable Television Vocabulary

cable television - TV sent to homes through a cable not the air: "a system of distributing television programs to subscribers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables or light pulses through fiber-optic cables. This contrasts with traditional broadcast television (terrestrial television) in which the television signal is transmitted over the air by radio waves and received by a television antenna attached to the television" (See Wikipedia)

pay-TV - TV that you must pay money to watch
operator - a company that does some business
pay-TV operator - company that does pay-TV as its business

telecommunications - dealing with telephones, radio and television การโทรคมนาคม หมายถึง การสื่อสารทางไกลโดยใช้โทรศัพท์ เคเบิล โทรทัศน์ วิทยุและโทรเลข

package - different services and products combined into one product that a company sells
basic package
True cuts basic package by 40%

low-end - with the lowest cost and lowest level of service
low-end package
high-end package

subscriber - a person who makes regular payments for a media service such as TV, magazine, newspaper, etc  ผู้ใช้บริการ
regular subscribers
low-end subscribers
high-end subscribers

briefing - a short meeting to provide needed information to people การแถลงการณ์สั้นๆ สรุปแบบสั้นๆ
the briefing for TrueVisions’ new low-end package
 
high-definition channels (HDTV) - TV with with a very large amount of detail in the picture (See Wikipedia)
The high-definition channels will be TNN24, True Sport HD2 and a golf channel.

set-top box - the small box connected to the TV that provides pay-TV service
Viewers can add more viewing choices by paying an additional 155 baht a month for another set-top box.

mass - large numbers จำนวนมหาศาล
mass market - a market for a product that a very large number of people buy (like telephone service or TV service)

extending service - offering a service to a new group of people
extending cable service
extending its cable service to the mass market

price cut - decreasing the price
a price cut of 40% for its low-end package

strategic - done with a special plan to achieve long term goals
strategic move - a strategic action

base - a group of people on which someone's power or income depends
subscriber base

boosting - increasing เพิ่ม
boosting the subscriber base

The strategic move is aimed at boosting the subscriber base of its cheapest True Knowledge package by 30% to 100,000 by the end of this year...

rights - what the law allows you to have and do สิทธิ์ (See Wikipedia)
football broadcasting rights - the right to show football games on TV and make a profit from it (not everyone has these rights)

losing the English Premier League football broadcasting rights for 2013-16

innovative - using new methods or ideas เกี่ยวกับการปรับปรุงใหม่, ที่เต็มไปด้วยจิตใจปฏิรูปใหม่
strategies - long-term plans for success in competition กลยุทธ
innovative strategies

retain - keep them, not lose them รักษา
retain customers - keep customers (so that they do not start buying product of another company)

innovative strategies to retain customers..
TrueVisions needs to create some innovative strategies to retain customers...

partnered with - join with another company to offer product or service

operators - people or companies doing some business
cable operators

nationwide - throughout a whole country ทั่วทั้งประเทศ ทั่วประเทศ
partnered with more than 150 cable operators nationwide

expand - to become larger ขายตัวออกไป
expand audiences

exclusive - limited to only one person or group of people แต่ผู้เดียว
exclusive channels

platform - a system
the TrueVisions platform

expand audiences for 30 exclusive channels on the TrueVisions platform

partnered with more than 150 cable operators nationwide to expand audiences for 30 exclusive channels on the TrueVisions platform.

slash - greatly reduced something, such as money or jobs ตัดทอน
slash price

The price of its True Knowledge package is being slashed from 495 to 299 baht a month for customers signing up for the company's service for the first time.

installation - การติดตั้ง
installation costs

rate - อัตรา
the rate includes VAT and installation costs

offerings
new offerings
With the new offerings, Mr Anat said customers can view 78 channels.

figure - an amount or number จำนวน
the figure will rise to 90 channels
in April, the figure will rise to 90 channels including high-definition channels

services - บริการต่างๆ
TrueVisions' services

sign up - to sign a contract or agreement with a company to receive some service
sign up for  services
sign up for TrueVisions' services

targets - 1. customers that a company wants to get; 2. goals or levels you plan to achieve
the new package targets people who have never signed up for TrueVisions' services

households - families or groups of people living together (economics treats this as a unit that makes decisions)
households that still use antennas to receive broadcasting signals.

broadcasting signals
use antennas to receive broadcasting signals

Mr Anat said the new package targets people who have never signed up for TrueVisions' services and those households that still use antennas to receive broadcasting signals.

upgrade - raised to a higher and better status or level; improve; make new, modern, and up-to-date
automatically upgrade - no need to do anything to get upgrade (happens automatically)

existing subscribers - subscribers that the company already has
automatically upgrade its existing True Knowledge subscribers

Mr Anat said TrueVisions will automatically upgrade its existing True Knowledge subscribers to its Super Sports package by offering 83 channels, three of which will have high definition.

upgrade its high-definition set-top box technology.
Mr Anat said TrueVisions plans to spend 500 million baht this year to upgrade its high-definition set-top box technology.

match - to look the same as or very similar to something else ซึ่งไม่คู่ควร
demand - the need and desire to buy goods and services by households and businesses ความต้องการ
match increasing demand

global - throughout the world ทั่วโลก ทั้งโลก all over the world, including the whole world
trend - a gradual change or development that produces a particular result ทิศทาง แนวโน้ม
global industry trend

High-definition channels will be the company's strategic move to match increasing demand and the global industry trend.

significantly - in an important way อย่างสำคัญ
significantly increase

aim - purpose; goal; the thing you hope to achieve by doing something เป้าหมาย จุดมุ่งหมาย
"We aim to significantly increase the number of our high-definition channels from the existing 17," Mr Anat said.

sole - only เดี่ยวๆ
the country's sole satellite service provider

acquire - to get; to obtain ได้มาซึ่ง
transponders - equipment used to broadcast TV and radio (See Wikipedia) (
acquire more transponders

capacity - the greatest amount of work that can be done (or traffic that can be handled) ความสามารถ (ความจุ) ในการจัดการ
broadcasting capacity
acquire more transponders to increase broadcasting capacity.

talks - negotiations, formal discussions of problems between different sides in a conflict in order to solve the problem
in talks with

TrueVisions has been in talks with Thaicom Plc, the country's sole satellite service provider, to acquire more transponders to increase broadcasting capacity.

the situation is not favourable

provide - to give someone something that they want or need
provide service

budget - an amount of money able to be spent on something งบประมาณ
a planned budget of 5 billion baht 

must provide its best service to audiences with a planned budget of 5 billion baht this year

surviving
the business surviving

crucial - very important because it effects the result of something สำคัญยิ่ง
factor - a fact or situation which influences the result of something ปัจจัย
it is a crucial factor in the business surviving

Even though the situation is not favourable, TrueVisions must provide its best service to audiences with a planned budget of 5 billion baht this year as it is a crucial factor in the business surviving, Mr Anat said.

tough - difficult to do or to deal with ยาก ยากลำบาก
facing tough times

revenue - income from taxes or business activities รายได้
future revenue

sustain - to keep going; to continue รักษาไว้
sustain future revenue

newcomer - a company or person that is new to some activity or business
losing rights to a newcomer
losing the EPL right to the newcomer Cable Thai Holding Plc.

TrueVisions has been facing tough time convincing investors how it could sustain future revenue from high-end subscribers after losing the EPL right to the newcomer Cable Thai Holding Plc.

edge over 
The EPL has long been TrueVision's edge over other cable TV operators

fees - money that you pay to be allowed to do something ค่าธรรมเนียม
membership fees

maintain - to keep รักษา
maintain the number of regular subscribers

The EPL has long been TrueVision's edge over other cable TV operators, enabling it to maintain the number of regular subscribers even though its membership fees are far higher than those of other pay-TV operators.

broadcasting rights
TrueVisions still has the broadcasting rights for the Uefa Champions League until 2015.

competitor - a person, team or company that is competing against others ผู้แข่งขัน, คู่แข่ง
RS Plc, its competitor, has the broadcasting right for the Spanish La Liga while GMM Grammy holds the rights for major soccer matches such as Germany's Bundesliga, the English League Cup and the French League. Channel 7 holds the right for the FA Cup.

firm - a business or company บริษัท
parent firm - the larger company that owns a smaller company

quarter - three months of the year (in the government or business calendar)
third quarter - the third period of three months of the year
third quarter revenue - the money coming into the company during the third quarter

True Corp, its parent firm, reported to the Stock Exchange of Thailand that TrueVisions' third quarter revenue last year rose by 6.4% compared to the same period of 2011 to 2.6 billion baht.

reality - actually happening ความเป็นจริง
reality show - a show with people really living their lives on the show (not just actors acting)
its reality show Academy Fantasia

The rise in revenue was due to its reality show Academy Fantasia Season 9 as well as the new hit programme Voice Thailand and growing advertising revenue. TrueVisions has around 2 million subscribers at present.

Tell us what you think about this article

Like dislike 1 people liked / 0 people disliked it

Share this article

0

0

• More +

• Republishing permission
• Print this

Bangkok Post online classifieds

Try buying & selling goods and properties 24/7 in our classifieds which has high purchasing power local & expatriate audience from within Thailand and around the world.