Truevisions Launches Box 20 Apr 2012 at 00:00

TrueVisions launches box 20 Apr 2012 at 00:00

TrueVisions, the country's leading pay-TV operator, is moving to guard its dominant market share by offering one-time payment for set-top boxes at a cheaper price than its rival GMM Z. True Life Plus set-top box by TrueVisions (left) offers more than 200 channels with no monthly fee while GMM Z says sales of its GMM Z box (right) were brisk, at 600,000 boxes in the first two months of this year.

Yesterday TrueVisions launched its True Life Plus box at 1,590 baht, the same price as the set-top box offered by GMM Z, a satellite TV unit of GMM Grammy. However, it has a special offer for 10,000 boxes to be sold at 999 baht at various department stores.

The set-top boxes offered by both operators are plug-and-play, with buyers paying for the boxes one time to view both free and satellite TV channels, with no monthly fees.

Anat Mekpaiboonvatana, managing director of TrueVisions, said its set-top boxes target the mass market and it expects to sell 50,000 boxes per month.

"We don't want to compete with any operator. The set-top box is our new initiative for customers. We saw demand for satellite TV set-top boxes grow significantly with only a few operators," he said.

About 20 million Thai households have access to satellite TV networks.

TrueVisions offers English Premier League and Thai Premier League football matches, world boxing championships and WWE wrestling for three months free of charge. After the free viewing period expires, customers wishing to renew it are required to pay 300 baht per month.

True Life Plus set-top boxes can be installed and connected with both C-band and KU-band satellite dishes. Broadcasting coverage is nationwide and viewers can watch over 200 channels. There are more than 1,000 points of sale in Bangkok and the provinces.

"We're confident we can sell up to 400,000 set-top boxes this year and our sales will rise by 20%," said Mr Anat.

GMM Z, which is a pioneer in the set-top box market, expects to sell 2 million set-top boxes this year. It already sold 600,000 boxes in January and February. Its GMM Z box can be connected with all satellite dish brands. Its dish partner is PSI Holding.

Grammy sealed broadcast rights for the 2012 Uefa European Football Championship, which will be a main marketing focus.

Thana Thienachariya, CEO of GMM Z, said the TrueVisions' campaign will spur competition and stimulate demand in both the cable and satellite television markets.

"We expect to see the total number of cable TV households grow exponentially in the next 12 months."

He said conventional antennas will become extinct by next year, thanks to the intense competition.