By Shaun Lim
For many reasons, digital terrestrial television (DTT) appears to be at a crossroads in its long and storied existence. In recent years, there is the proliferation of over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms that offer viewers the flexibility to consume content where and when they want to. Then, there is the emergence of social media platforms that offer user-generated content that appeals to younger viewers. Will DTT fade away?
Unleashed in a multi-media world, these platforms are eroding the time that viewers have traditionally dedicated to DTT. Like many countries in the world, Thailand is no exception when it comes to DTT losing its audience share to alternative content platforms.
However, this does not make DTT any less important, particularly when it comes to educating children in Thailand, suggested Amornphat Chomrat, Managing Director, Next Step Company (NSC).
Speaking exclusively to APB+, he said, “Many Gen Z started consuming content on mobile phones rather than the TV and they tend to play more games than watch children’s content when they were growing up, although it must be said that it is getting harder to find quality content for children on DTT.”
According to Chomrat, this can partly be attributed to DTT operators’ reluctance to air more children’s content, seeing that such programmes attract much less revenue when compared to other more popular content genres.
With a firm belief that DTT can serve as an important medium to educate children, Chomrat urged the media authorities in Thailand to provide more funding for children channels on DDT so that the young in the country can be shielded from the adverse effects of excessive exposure to gaming and the Internet.
As for viewers in other age groups, DTT will continue to serve an important purpose in Thailand, primarily because it is free to watch and does not require Internet connection.
Chomrat elaborated, “DTT in Thailand is targeted at the middle class or blue-collar workers who do not want to pay for content. They also want content that is entertaining, fun to watch, and easy to understand.
Providing quality content at an affordable price
Established in 1988, NSC reaches about 20 million viewers in Thailand, including via the Good TV satellite TV platform, whose mission is to improve the wellbeing and equality of the Thai people by providing a wide variety of segmented content.
These include documentary channels that highlight wildlife, science, history, and world exploration, children channels to educate the young, and English music channels to appeal to teenagers and young adults.
Good TV also offers localised channels such as the Phuket Channel, the Chiangmai Channel, and the Pattaya Channel, which Chomrat said can only be delivered through satellite transmission, as compared to DTT, where the cost of multiplexing and broadcast equipment will prove to be too prohibitive.
“We need satellite transmission to penetrate both urban and rural areas where connectivity and cost of the Internet may be concerns for people,” he added.
Revealing that providing segmented content that appeal to different viewer profiles will continue to be a key strategy for Good TV over the next decade, Chomrat also urged the Thai government and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to provide more support for this initiative, which he says cannot be sustained purely through commercials.
Traditional TV still critical despite rise of OTT
According to research by Statista, a statistics portal for market and consumer data, OTT platforms were the leading platforms for viewing video content among Thai consumers in 2022, and collectively made up a US$1.4 billion industry.
While acknowledging that OTT has had an adverse impact on traditional service providers through the loss of audience share, Chomrat is adamant that platforms such as Good TV will continue to have an important place in Thai society, particularly in rural areas where the lack of Internet infrastructure means people have less access to OTT services.
Affordability is also a factor, as Chomrat illustrated, “If you break down the cost for OTT, you would need Internet access and the cost of monthly subscription fees to access the OTT platform. For satellite and DTT services, you would just need to install once without needing any Internet service and you can then access basic content free.”
Lamenting how younger viewers are choosing OTT streaming platforms over DTT, he also reiterated his call for more quality content for children to be produced for DTT.
This, he emphasised, will allow children to experience DTT at a young age. Then, even if they choose to consume content over OTT platforms, there is a higher likelihood that they will come back to DTT from time to time to watch their favourite programmes.
He also called on the NBTC to provide funding for children programmes to safeguard the longevity of DTT. “If NBTC does not support children programmes, there will be no new generations of viewers for DTT, which will then fade out,” Chomrat cautioned.
For its part, Good TV will continue to monitor viewing habits and adapt strategies to keep up with the changing market. Besides continuing with its content segmentation strategy, Good TV is looking to keep subscription costs low and affordable so that more viewers in Thailand will be able to access quality content, whether they are in rural or urban areas.
Another familiar foe that Good TV and, indeed, many content providers in Thailand have had to contend with, is piracy. While admitting that piracy continues to be a problem in Thailand, partly driven by the high cost of accessing quality content, Chomrat shared Good TV’s simple but effective solution to combat piracy.
“The Good TV strategy is to make the cost to access our content as low as possible. With the quality content that we also provide, what incentive is there for anyone to pirate our content?”