The 690-baht digital TV coupons being distributed nationwide will generate business activity worth 63 billion baht, according to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
The figure is four times the cost of the coupons that are being sent to 22.9 million households, NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said on Saturday.
The regulator has been facing criticism for the coupon programme, which is costing it 15.8 billion baht. It has already logged more than 1,000 complaints from consumers who say set-top box makers are trying to exploit the system. Others simply don't understand what digital TV is about and are vulnerable to being cheated.
Mr Takorn estimated direct economic value of 30 billion baht to come from the sales of set-top boxes and indirect gains of 33 billion baht for broadcasting businesses.
Takorn: Suppliers must also open customer service centres.
Residents also have the choice of using the coupons to buy a new digital-ready TV set.
However, Mr Takorn said an NBTC study indicated that most people would use the coupons to buy set-top boxes because they already had TV sets and didn't want to buy new digital models just to tune in to digital channels.
Based on set-top box sales of 30 billion baht, the government would collect about 2 billion baht in value-added tax, he said. In the longer term, higher profits for box suppliers would result in higher corporate income tax payments, though the NBTC has not studied this aspect.
Mr Takorn also said that the NBTC required set-top box suppliers who accept coupons to operate four customer service centres in each province and have call centre staff and technicians available to provide service and repairs. The additional jobs created would be another economic benefit, he said.
Coupon distribution began on Oct 10 and has not reached all provinces yet, but the NBTC acknowledges some troubling early developments.
Some companies are offering commissions to community leaders. They collect coupons and money from residents for the price difference between the cost of the box and the coupon, along with copies of their ID cards. The leaders then bring the coupons, money and ID copies to obtain boxes on behalf of the homeowners in return for a commission payment.
The practice violates the NBTC's rule stipulating that one person may not obtain boxes on behalf of more than three coupon holders.
Mr Takorn acknowledged this week that the malpractice reflected weak publicity about how digital TV works and how to use the coupons correctly.
However, on Saturday he expressed confidence that with better access to digital TV thanks to the coupons, producers, ad agencies and digital TV operators would be more confident about investing in the business.
He said that commercial airtime charges on digital TV currently ranged between 5,000 and 100,000 per minute, far cheaper than the fees on analog programmes, making commercial time more affordable for small and medium enterprises.
Based on existing fees, revenue from commercials on the existing 24 digital channels should amount to 32.85 billion baht per year, Mr Takorn said.