Royal Thai Army Radio and Television (TV5) is working with Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com to help promote Thai agricultural products on the platform as part of measures to increase income for farmers and the country's economy.
"Talks have been held with JD.com to export Thai fruit to JD customers," said Lt Gen Rangsee Kitiyanasap, president of Royal Thai Army Radio and Television.
The collaboration is expected to begin this month to determine which products would be exported first, such as durian, jasmine rice or others, he said.
Some 50,000 tonnes of fruit is expected to be sold through collaboration with JD.com per year, said Lt Gen Rangsee.
"We will deliver via air freight within two days, either wholesale or retail," he said. TV5 earns an administration fee of 10% from exporters.
Products joining the JD platform will be selected from those placed on TV5's www.ohlalashopping.com, which has been operating in the past six months to offset a decline in ad revenue and fees for the terrestrial broadcasting network or MUX.
The platform mainly targets agricultural produce and processed farm products. The products can also be promoted through Line, Facebook Live, home shopping and call centres linked with the platform.
"We think farmers and their family members are a huge potential segment, totalling 30 million of the population," said Lt Gen Rangsee.
According to Lt Gen Rangsee, TV5 is expected to be one of only five profitable digital TV channels this year while another 15 could face losses due to shrinking advertising amid economic woes.
TV5 booked 120 million baht in net profits last year while revenue fell 30% year-on-year to 1.2 billion baht due to discounts in advertising fees and a drop in MUX rental.
He said the Thai army has floated some megaproject ideas to help create jobs and stimulate investment.
These include the construction of a 300-megawatt solar farm on military land in Kanchanaburi province in cooperation with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. TV5 is seeking private partners to invest.
"Alternative energy will be main energy in the next five years," Lt Gen Rangsee said.
He said the Thai government can hold talks with the Chinese government to persuade Chinese firms to invest in Quartz mining on military land in Kanchanaburi. This can be done under a revenue-sharing scheme, rather than a concession, he said.
"This will help generate income for the country," Lt Gen Rangsee said.