If Thailand wants its creative industry to grow domestically and internationally, all stakeholders must unite and reform the industry from the ground up, according to the soft power development subcommittee.
The creative industry was highlighted for increased development by the government given its potential to enhance the country's economic value and international recognition, allowing Thailand to better leverage its soft power.
In recent years, the government has promoted Thai soft power through a 5F approach consisting of Thai food, films and videos, Thai fabric and fashion design, Thai martial arts, and traditional festivals.
The goal was to feature cultural exports to strengthen the economy and create several creative industry jobs.
This target is proving harder to achieve than some bureaucrats expected.
A scene from Hanuman White Monkey, which depicts the story of Hanuman, the main character in the Ramakien or Ramayana epic. The government have emphasized the necessity of promoting Thai soft power and creative economy through the 5F approach: food, film, fashion, fighting, and festivals. Varuth Hirunyatheb
Sluggish economy
Chalermchatri Yukol, chairman of the national soft power development subcommittee for TV and film, said the slumping Asian and Thai economies have greatly affected Thai media content production and export markets.
The weak economy pressured Thai TV companies, with the market downturn forcing some of them to scale down their size, while others shuttered operations, said Mr Chalermchatri.
In May, Voice TV Co Ltd stopped broadcasting and laid off more than 100 employees.
However, the Thai film industry is still in a good mood, both in terms of revenue and quality, in part because of Thailand's expanding presence in the global film industry before the worldwide economy showed signs of slowing, he said.
"The Thai TV series business has shrunk significantly, which could pose a huge challenge to the government's policy to promote soft power," said Mr Chalermchatri.
He said the industry faces lower prices for broadcast distribution rights than other countries.
Buyers of Thai TV series are mainly from Southeast Asian countries, which might not have high spending power, making the return from overseas markets relatively low, said Mr Chalermchatri.
"The revenue from selling the broadcast rights for Thai TV series is roughly US$5,000-25,000 per broadcast episode, which is 10 times less than the licence price of a TV series from South Korea," he said.
Call to end censorship
Phetthai Vongkumlao, a Thai film producer, director and well-known comedian, said even though Thailand has talented people to create a thriving film industry and experienced local production houses, state censorship means filmmakers cannot provide diverse content to the industry.
"If we have more freedom of expression, we can tell many more stories, and the content we produce will reach more people," said Mr Chalermchatri.
Last year, the Culture Ministry revised ministerial regulations under the Film and Video Act of 2008, which were designed to transform the country's film industry by shifting the power to censor from the government to producers.
The move is part of an effort to reduce state control over creative content, promoting self-regulation within the film and gaming industries.
A key feature of the new legislation is a focus on protecting younger audiences, with provisions to ensure content is age-appropriate and responsibly produced.
The bill proposes that producers adopt a self-regulated ratings system, making them more accountable to societal standards, particularly regarding content for children and youth.
Only movies with content that may affect the monarchy will remain prohibited from being screened in Thailand.
Mr Chalermchatri says Thai TV and film directors need more freedom of expression to tell stories.
R&D is imperative
Mr Chalermchatri, who is also a TV and film director, said all stakeholders in the Thai film and TV industry should focus on R&D and innovation, study factors that contribute to the success or failure of Thai content, and learn lessons.
To pursue overseas market growth, the industry must study market demand, spending power, and regulation and censorship in each country, he said.
"Thailand can learn from successful case studies in other countries, such as South Korea. But keep in mind, we cannot replicate the accomplishments of others in Thailand," said Mr Chalermchatri.
"We must find our own path."
He identified the four Asian giants in terms of cultural exports as China, India, South Korea and Japan.
"As Thailand aims to become another Asian tiger in cultural exports, its competitors include Taiwan, Russia, Australia and Indonesia," said Mr Chalermchatri.
Taiwan has a similar audience size to Thailand as well as talented actors, while its government works quickly, he said.
Moreover, Vietnam is a rising star in the region as the private sector organised international film festivals to promote the local industry, transforming the power of culture and cinema into economic potential, said Mr Chalermchatri.
Soft power TV
The government previously initiated a "soft power TV" scheme by using government-owned channels such as the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT) to reschedule and present more content related to Thailand's soft power.
Prime Minister's Office Minister Jiraporn Sindhuprai said the government has looked into many operating models, such as Arirang TV in South Korea, which promotes the country's dynamic image and unique culture to a global audience of 146 million viewers in 108 countries.
As for Thailand, TV programmes would feature content related to Thai food, travel and music, said Ms Jiraporn.
"More details on programmes will be announced to the media on July 11," she said.
Commenting on the soft power TV initiative, Mr Chalermchatri said the government needs to set effective communication strategies and targets, which will result in a TV programme line-up.
As for streaming platforms, he said there is no need to enforce the promotion of Thai content worldwide, as soft power means people have to choose your content.
Capturing a global audience
Mr Chalermchatri suggested the government help the private sector to promote Thai soft power and the creative economy by promoting locally made films at international film festivals.
Another tactic is to develop professional negotiators to facilitate the sale of Thai film titles on the global market, he said.
The government should also encourage and promote movie directors and entertainment professionals to have opportunities to participate in world-class film or TV festivals, said Mr Chalermchatri.
He urged the government to create support mechanisms for the creative industry, such as offering cash rebates to attract investment from foreign film productions, funding for cultural products with potential that are both old and new, and creating a space to promote and advertise cultural products to sustainably support the expansion of soft power.
The country's creative industries are innovative and gaining in popularity, with the potential to become a growth engine accelerating Thailand's global standing, said Mr Chalermchatri.
The government must adopt a strategic and coordinated approach targeting interventions that increase the supply and sustainability of creative local talent, encourage demand for and development of local intellectual property, and foster a more efficient and robust creative ecosystem, he said.
"Thailand's educational system, businesses, government and individual creators alike should work together on the promotion of soft power industries," said Mr Chalermchatri.
