Channel 5, the free TV channel operated by the Royal Thai Army, will rebrand itself as a public TV station for national security within four years.
Shigeru Ohashi (second left), president and chief executive of Shop Global (Thailand), concludes a partnership with Lt Gen Nanthapol Chamrasromran (second right), deputy managing director of army-run Channel 5, to broadcast Shop Channel on TGN.
To achieve its goal, the channel will increase informative content to 70% of the total, up from the current 40%, and the remaining 30% will go for entertainment, down from 60%, to meet recommendations by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
However, the increase in informative content will be gradual at 10% per year.
Maj Gen Boonyarit Wismol, Channel 5’s director for policy and planning, said the station has two main missions.
The first one is the transformation from analogue to digital-TV broadcast system and the second is a revision from commercial to public-purpose channel.
The digitisation will adversely affect the revenue stream at four free TV channels — Channel 3, Channel 7 Channel 9 and Channel 5 —which will have to spend a sum of money to support TV operation for national security.
Currently, Channel 5’s main revenue comes from its partnership with many content providers, who will soon shift the programmes to digital TV channels.
Among them are 3A Marketing Co, a news producer, and Scenario, a producer of soap operas.
Channel 5 will increasingly produce its own news programmes while other content will be produced by new production houses to be recruited in the future.
The NBTC requires that the operation of public-purpose digital channel for national security cannot generate profits.
It means that if Channel 5 changes its mission as a public-purpose digital channel in the future, it will face some losses.
However, the channel will be compensated with two digital-TV network provider licences granted by the NBTC. This was made in exchange for the return of its analogue frequency in advance and adjustment to a real public TV channel in the future.
The Army has spent 1.6 billion baht for its digital-TV network expansion and its two networks are fully booked by 14 digital channels.
The Army’s networks will definitely provide digital signal transmissions on April 1 when all 24 digital-TV channels will start broadcasting their programmes.
Channel 5 will continue to broadcast on its analogue system in the next five years along with the digital broadcast, according to the NBTC.
The channel is ranked fourth in terms of viewership among four major free TV channels, sharing only 1%.
Channel 5’s new office building will be finished mid-year and office and conference room rents will help reduce its losses.
The Thai TV Global Network (TGN), the satellite TV network under Channel 5, which broadcasts in 177 countries on six continents, will also contribute some revenues.
TGN runs two satellite TV channels, TGN 1 and TGN 2, with a mission of bringing Thainess to the world.
TGN yesterday signed a partnership deal with Shop Global (Thailand) to carry the Shop Channel on its satellite network.
Maj Gen Boonyarit said Channel 5 generates little profit every year, which is allocated for supporting Army welfare and internal research into broadcasting, particularly the trials of digital TV in the near future.
Channel 5 was established to create understanding between the Army and the Thai general public as well as to deliver informative and entertainment content to the public.
“The Army-run TV is still needed due to national security. Our channel will stand by Thais when any uncertain situation occurs,” he said.
