BANGKOK, 29 Mar 2015, Thailand Cable TV Association Honorary Advisor, Kasem Intarakeaw, has expressed concerns over the declining number of cable TV clients in the rural areas, as digital TV gains more popularity. The predicament has caused many provincial cable TV operators to exit their business or merge with other operators.
Digital TV has recently gained more recognition from the public, as 24 digital TV channels have already received a licence to air from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), while an aggressive campaign by the NBTC that offers a coupon to all households in the nation to exchange for a digital TV set top box, has been launched.
Nonetheless, Mr.Kasem is confident that operators will be able to adjust to the new reality and that digital TV won’t have a long-term effect on the local cable TV business.
He said although many rural cable TV operators still provide a service which is of inferior quality and offers fewer channels, a lot of these operators are now showing an eagerness to improve whether by joining up with other cable TV operators or upgrading their service to digital TV.
