Digital Newcomers in Hunt for Talent 14 Jan 2014 at 00:00

Digital newcomers in hunt for talent 14 Jan 2014 at 00:00

The many new digital TV broadcasters are hungry to recruit talent to produce content or to form a partnership with other content producers.

The 24 digital TV channels are required by the regulator to begin broadcasting around February.

A source in the TV industry said some licence winners are not ready to begin airing next month or in March for lack of programming.

''Some of them have asked those who lost the auctions or the major content producers to help supply programmes for their channels without paying airtime rental fees,'' the source said.

Apart from co-productions for TV shows and airtime rents, some new digital channels may ask content providers to buy a stake.

The source said not only operations staff but also management executives are being sought to work for the new channels and a clearer picture should emerge in February.

Amarin Television, which won a licence for a high-definition (HD) variety channel, is seeking good-looking TV hosts aged 20-38 through the TV Star New Face contest ending on June 15. Amarin runs an existing satellite TV channel, Amarin Activ TV.

Managing director Rarin Punjarungroj said Amarin will bring back the Noom Sao Praew model contest, which was popular among university students some 20 years ago, and broadcast it on the new HD channel. ''That's a good way to find talented people for our series in the future and attract viewers,'' she said.

PPTV, owned by Bangkok Media and Broadcast Co, is also seeking talented people for every position related to its new HD channel.

PPTV has run a satellite TV channel since last June targeting audiences aged 18-35. It commits 55% of airtime to entertainment, 25% to news, 10% to social programming and 10% to education.

A source from PPTV said the satellite TV channel is managed by a nephew of Prasert Prasarttong-osoth, the owner of Bangkok Airways. The PPTV board is looking for a new managing director to oversee the HD channel.

Elsewhere, Thai Rath HD TV is seeking more than 50 people to work in a wide range of positions, including technical and content areas.

Workpoint TV, the winner of a standard-definition (SD) variety channel, needs 40 creative types to produce game shows, the company's strength.

The Nation Group has organised the Friend of Nation event as a meeting platform for its team and independent content providers. The group won digital TV licences for a news channel (Nation Channel) and an SD variety channel (NOW Channel). Channel 7 will recruit about 50 people through a staffing event on Jan 18-19 at The Mall Bangkapi's MMC Hall.

Channel 7 needs staff for many areas such as TV anchors, directors, account executives and artist management. The recruitment effort is the channel's biggest in 40 years of operation.