Policy interventions and smart regulatory design, not a state-engineered streaming app, are the answers to rescue the local broadcasting industry, says a consultant.
Rewin Pataibunlue, managing partner at consultancy PrimeStreet Advisory, said the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission's (NBTC) intention to ensure public access to information is a good idea, but building a sovereign streaming app as a digital TV broadcasting platform could become a financial trap.
"Thailand does not suffer from a platform shortage; it suffers from a platform surplus," he noted.
Between global subscription giants, regional platforms and homegrown mobile services, Thai viewers are already experiencing severe app fatigue. Introducing a distinct, state-backed app would only deepen consumer confusion, Mr Rewin said.
"Think about how you watched your favourite TV programme this week. Chances are you did not rush to your living room at a designated evening hour to catch it live," he said.
Most people likely pulled up a programme on their smartphone during a commute, cast a recording to an internet-enabled smart TV while preparing dinner, or binged multiple episodes over the weekend.
With Thailand's terrestrial digital TV broadcasting licences expiring in April 2029, local stations are steadily losing ad revenue to global internet platforms. To survive, local broadcasters must migrate online, Mr Rewin noted.
The NBTC proposed an ambitious centrepiece for its third digital TV master plan: the creation of a state-engineered national streaming platform for broadcasters to air their content after their licences expire.
"A more pragmatic, market-driven solution exists, and the key to unlocking it lies in the upcoming 5G mobile spectrum auctions," he said.
Proponents of the national streaming platform cite international models that support the establishment of such platforms. However, the dynamics of the Thai media landscape are fundamentally different from those of other nations, said Mr Rewin.
Managing a modern media streaming infrastructure demands massive, ongoing capital expenditure on cloud data storage, cybersecurity, regular user-interface updates and aggressive marketing just to remain visible alongside commercial competitors, he noted.
For a regulatory body, operating such a platform might risk creating a permanent fiscal deficit.
Expecting individual mid-tier Thai TV broadcasters to build their own independent apps is equally unrealistic, given the prohibitive technical costs of streaming high-definition video to millions of concurrent viewers, said Mr Rewin.
LEVERAGING PARTNERS
Instead of constructing a redundant digital platform, the NBTC should leverage existing world-class digital infrastructure, he said.
Thailand's leading telecom operators have spent billions of baht developing and optimising mature media systems.
Applications such as AIS Play and TrueID boast massive, active user bases, direct native placement on millions of mobile devices and pre-integrated billing systems.
"They possess the content delivery networks and the established audiences local TV stations desperately need," Mr Rewin said.
Rather than competing with these telecom platforms, the regulator should facilitate structural partnerships with them, he said.
The upcoming allocation of the 3500-megahertz spectrum band, which is the global sweet spot for high-speed 5G data services, provides the ultimate policy lever, said Mr Rewin. Local broadcasters use the 3500MHz range for C-band satellite transmissions, which means reclaiming the spectrum for mobile networks requires coordinated migration.
The NBTC can capitalise on this timing by embedding clear media distribution obligations directly into the 5G auction conditions, he noted. Under this framework, telecom operators would receive clear deductions or credits on their upfront spectrum auction fees.
In exchange for this financial relief, the winning bidders would be required to host licensed Thai digital TV channels on their respective streaming platforms at no cost or under highly subsidised terms.
"This must extend beyond carrying simple live feeds; telecom platforms must fully host broadcasters' on-demand and catch-up content libraries," Mr Rewin said.
These conditions must ensure local broadcasters receive prime visibility on app home screens and a fair share of programme ad revenue, he noted.
"If these conditions are designed correctly, they will generate a powerful market incentive," said Mr Rewin.
Local TV operators, seeing a clear, low-cost distribution pathway onto the country's dominant mobile platforms, will find a sustainable financial blueprint for the digital era, he said. This commercial viability will incentivise them to reapply for their broadcast licences after 2029, safeguarding local creative jobs and preserving public interest journalism, Mr Rewin noted.
For the public, the transition would be seamless. Viewers would not have to download a clunky new government app or navigate an unfamiliar digital interface. Their favourite local programmes would remain accessible on the platforms they already use, delivered over faster mobile networks.
"The future of Thai TV does not depend on the state becoming a software developer. It depends on smart regulatory design that connects the capabilities of big telecom companies with the content needs of local TV," he said.
