NBTC Speeds up Switch to Digital TV 4 Feb 2014 at 00:00

NBTC speeds up switch to digital TV 4 Feb 2014 at 00:00

The broadcasting regulator has amended two regulations to speed up the country's digitisation, which will encourage free TV channels to migrate from analogue to the digital terrestrial system.

The two amendments are the must-carry rule and the simulcast period scheme.

The simulcast scheme means free TV stations under the analogue system will broadcast their signals in both analogue and digital systems during the period of digital TV transition.

Under the simulcast scheme, three public free TV channels Channel 5, Channel 11 and Thai PBS must stop transmitting analogue TV signals in 2018, said Col Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) broadcasting committee.

Three commercial free TV channels Channel 3, Channel 7 and Channel 9 will stop analogue TV signal transmissions once their new digital TV channels broadcast on the first day.

For the digital TV system, Channel 5 will use digital network No.2 provided by the Royal Thai Army.

Channel 11 will use network No.1 by the Public Relations Department (PRD), while Thai PBS will use network No.4 by itself.

Channels 3 and 9 will use network No.3 by MCOT Plc, while Channel 7 will use network No.5 by the Royal Thai Army.

The amendment aims to reduce the duplication of broadcasting cost and speed up digitisation. Channel 5, Channel 11 and Thai PBS will remain public channels.

The amendment will eventually force the three commercial channels (Channels 3, 7 and 9) to migrate their existing channels to broadcast digitally without the revision of advertising and content.

The NBTC has finalised the enforcement of four broadcasting concessions.

First, the contract between MCOT and International Engineering Plc is not legitimate as they used the frequency range of 766-774-megahertz for digital mobile TV. MCOT must use this frequency for the previous purpose of analogue TV and must return it to the NBTC in five years.

Second, the contract between MCOT and TrueVisions over the Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS) will be sent to the legal subcommittee to consider an amended contract about the 6.5% sharing of ad revenue from TrueVisions.

Third, the contract between the PRD and World Star Thailand is not preserved under the Broadcasting Act and the PRD must return its frequency range of 2520-2528-MHz to the NBTC.