Bright TV 20 sets channel shutdown for Aug 16

Bright TV 20 sets channel shutdown for Aug 16

Bright TV 20 will receive 372 million baht from the broadcasting regulator within 60 days of the shutdown. (Photo by Seksan Rojjanametakul)
Bright TV 20 will receive 372 million baht from the broadcasting regulator within 60 days of the shutdown. (Photo by Seksan Rojjanametakul)

Bright TV 20 is the third channel to announce a shutdown date of Aug 16 and will receive compensation of 372 million baht from the broadcasting regulator within 60 days of the shutdown.

Spring 19 Channel and Spring 26, formerly known as Now 26, earlier announced their shutdowns to occur on the same date, according to a previous resolution by a subcommittee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.

NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said the board officially approved remedy conditions on Tuesday for digital TV businesses and compensation for the seven TV channels that decided to exit the sector.

According to official approval from the board, Channel 19 will get 500.5 million baht, Spring 26 will get 675.7 million baht and Bright TV 20 will receive 372 million baht.

Mr Takorn said the three TV channels may get compensation by Aug 18 or two days after the shutdown, though remedy conditions stipulate that TV channels will receive compensation no later than 60 days after shutdown.

The compensation will mainly be in exchange for the spectrum the channels will return to the NBTC, for which they have already paid licensing fees up to 2029.

But the net compensation for each TV channel will differ depending on the winning price of each licence auction and the exact date when they are allowed to go off-air.

The NBTC calculated the net amount of compensation and subtracted the figure of assistance they got from the must-carry rule and broadcasting network rental fee subsidy, as well as the annual net profit of the business until the date of shutdown.

Mr Takorn said combined compensation to the seven TV channels is expected to reach 2.9 billion baht.

Seven digital TV channels through six operators had submitted letters of intent to exit from the sector to the NBTC on the May 10 deadline, in accordance with the government's aid initiative under Section 44.

The channels going off the air are Spring News 19, MCOT 14, Spring 26, Voice TV 21, Bright TV 20, Channel 3 Family 1 and Channel 3 SD 28.

This will reduce the number of digital TV channels from 22 to 15 after August.

Mr Takorn said the remaining four TV channels, which have not received a compensation figure, must propose financial statements and an off-air plan to the NBTC by July 10.

The regulator will use part of the allocation of the 700MHz licence sale last week to pay compensation to the seven TV channels and other costs related to Section 44 powers invoked in April.

But the first instalment of the 700MHz licence payments will start in September 2020, meaning the NBTC will use its own funds to pay the TV channels in advance. The regulator will return the money from the 700MHz licence instalment payments to its funds later.

Additionally, Mr Takorn said the NBTC's board on Tuesday approved employee benefit compensation proposed by Spring 19 Channel, Spring 26 Channel and Bright TV 20. The three channels agreed to pay benefits to affected employees of an additional month's salary on top of what is required by labour regulations.

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