The government plans to push Thai soft power on the airwaves, aiming to export its culture by joining the ranks of global networks such as BBC and NHK.
Speaking at the 36th anniversary celebration of the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT) on Thursday, which is the public broadcasting arm of the Public Relations Department, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, chairwoman of the National Committee on Soft Power Development, said many countries around the world have their own media outlets tasked with promoting their image and unique culture to a global audience.
For example, Arirang TV in South Korea, which has 146 million viewing households in 107 countries around the world, communicates through a variety of programmes comprising dramas, variety shows, news, and documentaries that reflect traditional and contemporary South Korean culture.
"The government sees the potential of NBT as a soft power exporter to a wider audience around the world," Ms Paetongtarn said.
She said she believes NBT could have the potential to join the likes of NHK from Japan or the BBC from the UK.
"Apart from Thai and English, the NBT should provide subtitles in other languages, such as Chinese, Japanese and French, in order to obtain more viewers," said Ms Paetongtarn.
Prime Minister's Office Minister Jiraporn Sindhuprai said NBT must comply with the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission's regulation by airing at least 70% news or documentary programmes that are useful for the public.
"As NBT is a public broadcaster, it might not attract a large-scale audience compared with other commercial channels, which can air a greater amount of entertainment content," said Ms Jiraporn.
NBT has a nationwide network of both radio stations and TV channels in all regions of Thailand, which can keep the local and international communities updated on Thailand's culture and development, she said.
In June, NBT ranked 19th out of 20 for TV viewership, with an average of 9,000 viewers per minute, reaching 9.8 million people across traditional TV and streaming platforms combined, according to the Association of Digital Television Broadcasting (Thailand).
Starting from Oct 1, the NBT will integrate soft power-related content into its news programmes, adjusting its schedule to allow more shows to promote Thai soft power, such as culture, music, food and sports, said Ms Jiraporn.
