After eight years in the game, Zense Entertainment Co, a TV content provider and producer, says that being a quality content provider is never easy. Learning and developing from international content providers is the only way to rise above the competitive fray.
Starting from only one TV programme, The Honeymoon Fight, Zense has been developing its content to match people's changing lifestyles, says founder and chief Varavuth Jentanakul.
The turning point came during Zense's fourth year of operations. At that point, Mr Varavuth decided to give a Thai twist to international content by offering programmes such as Step Right Up Thailand, The Money Drop Thailand and Do Me A Favour Thailand.
Mr Varavuth said the drift towards international content coincided with the growth of high-speed internet, as the world was getting smaller and Thailand was entering the first year of its digital TV era.
"I was always looking for what's next for Thailand's media industry, especially outstanding TV programmes," he said, "and when I found interesting foreign content that had no footprint in Thailand, I decided to buy the broadcasting rights as the 24 digital TV channel [environment] was expanding."
Step Right Up Thailand, The Money Drop Thailand and Do Me A Favour Thailand have all been successful in terms of feedback and ratings, as they fit the digital TV niche and offered Thais formats they had never seen before.
Mr Varavuth said bringing international content to Thailand was a no-brainer, as it had already proved itself abroad, increasing the confidence among digital TV operators that they would be able to attract a lot of ad revenue and viewers.
"The most important things that Zense has learned from foreign content providers is that once we encounter things we have never seen before, it can help us make our own content better," Mr Varavuth said. "International TV programmes are like good foreign textbooks that contain a lot of information, instructions, examples and pointers which are applicable to content providers in Thailand."
This approach has made Zense one of the most popular content providers and producers in the country, only trailing Workpoint Entertainment. Zense also dubs itself the top provider of internationally formatted content.
But Mr Varavuth said the digital TV era comes with its own series of challenges.
"I have always aimed to not only grow big, but to grow with quality, because these two factors will bring our company to the next level of success," he said.
Mr Varavuth said he is strongly against bootlegging foreign TV programmes because it damages the credibility of Thai content providers.
"Intellectual property is priceless, and every content provider should respect each other," he said.
Mr Varavuth said the company is not looking to merely get in on the singing show bandwagon, but rather will stay two steps ahead by offering higher-quality fare in that realm.
The company recently launched The Producer, a singing contest that gathers music producers to train their singers, with the aim of making a splash in the red ocean of digital TV business.
Mr Varavuth said digital disruption provides the opportunity for audiences to more easily access content, as they can view it on their own terms.
"Thailand's digital TV industry is facing lots of problems due to an overabundance of TV channels, but the national regulator has done its best to help, so what we can do is make quality content to serve them," he said.
The company recently invested 700 million baht to produce five new TV shows, and it's also looking to generate revenue online.
Mr Varavuth said social media is driving the company's success, with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Line helping to better engage with customers.
He said the company expects to earn 800 million baht in revenue this year thanks to its new content -- a 300-million-baht increase from last year.
The company has produced more than 38 TV programmes over the past eight years, totalling 3,500 hours, and will continue producing its own content. Of those programmes, 11 are international format programmes and the rest were produced under the company's own format.
Zense Entertainment broadcasts content on leading digital TV channels like BBTV's Channel 7, BEC World's Channel 3 (HD, SD and Family), True4U, One 31 and PPTV.
