Seven digital television channels decided to return their licences to the industry's regulator and will likely shut down in August under the timeline following a Section 44 order requiring providers to buy 700 megahertz licences.
The channels are Channel 3 Family 1 and Channel 3 SD 28, Spring News 19, Spring 26 (formerly known as Now 26), MCOT 14, Voice TV 21 and Bright TV 20.
That means the existing 22 digital channels will be reduced to 15 after August, when the seven can shut down as part of the timeline by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Coommission (NBTC). Meanwhile, the nation's three major mobile phone operators have agreed to purchase allocations of 700MHz in exchange for a five-year delay in payments for previous 900-megahertz licence auctions.
The NBTC says that the deal with the digital TV operators will cost the government 38 billion baht in waived licence fee payments and further subsidies for the sector.
The government also plans to use funds from the 700MHz sale to assist the digital TV industry, which has faced heavy losses in recent years.
