Thailand faces a new era as players tussle for a place in the future with a shift to digital broadcasting now the “big mission” for regulator, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). For the NBTC, its Master Plan 2012 – 2016 aims to allocate broadcasting frequencies, regulate the market and set broadcast codes of conduct. NBTC Commissioner Supinya Klanarong, says the goal is to transform Thailand from analogue to digital broadcaster. “This is, … [Read more...] about Thailand’s road to digitisation and competition
Country Focus
Ready for Reformation?
Amid a wave of reform, Thai satellite and cable operator True Corp is looking to enter Myanmar’s cable and satellite market ahead of the ASEAN economic community (AEC) in 2015 with a US$32 million investment. True Corp’s chief executive, Supachai Chearavanont, says the plan is to expand its telecom footprint as the region opens up. He tells local media the plans would be implemented once new licences for cable-TV broadcasting were issued. “We’ll produce local language … [Read more...] about Ready for Reformation?
Local wave
The march towards the digital age has gone underway with the launch of the Vinasat-2 satellite this year after 2008’s Vinasat-1 satellite, with officials confident of Vietnam meeting broadcast demand until 2020. Potential for digital growth The outlook is in line with Vietnam’s plans to fully digitalise broadcasting in the same time frame, with terrestrial digital TV accounting for 45% of all transmissions. Under the plan, approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the project will … [Read more...] about Local wave
Industry Promotion
TV ASIA Plus: What are FINAS’ objectives and targets for the year? The current market in Malaysia is growing significantly with the active support of the Malaysian government, through FINAS, as well as other government agencies such as Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC). In line with Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Program (ETP) that was announced by the prime minister in 2009, the government has implemented and … [Read more...] about Industry Promotion
New Players
Telekom Malaysia (TM), Maxis, YTL, ABN and several other niche players have either launched new services or have them in the pipeline. As is happening around the world, the Malaysia TV market suddenly looks crowded but interesting. Early entry: All the players have launched commercially, but Astro, Media Prima, TM and Maxis are best placed if they can leverage their existing customer bases. Many devices: Astro’s B.yond and the new 1Malaysia TV service are available on smart phones/ tablets … [Read more...] about New Players
Korea: The Bigger Picture
It’s a foregone conclusion that 2011 will be remembered as a watershed year for South Korean TV. The nationwide roll-out in December of four new cable channels from local print-media giants and a CNN-like cable news channel from the national news agency made certain of that. What remains to be seen is whether these and other developments with less game-changing potential are ultimately viewed in a positive or negative light. Similarly, while Korea chalked up another record year when it … [Read more...] about Korea: The Bigger Picture
