UBC aims for mass market with Thai pop music
Who ditched whom? Since MTV Thailand and VH1 faded to black on UBC-True - putting aside the question of whether it was an amicable divorce - 300 enquiries have been made to the cable operator.
One-fourth of the callers regretted the two channels' departure, while the rest were making general inquiries, said Ong-ard Prapakamol, chief commercial officer of United Broadcasting.Ong-ard also said the absence of MTV Thailand and VH1 would improve the overall programming of UBC-True. He cited two surveys done this year - by the company itself - as justification. The verdict from the research was that mass-market audiences - a segment UBC-True is looking to expand - are now asking for more factual programmes. He said there was also an increasing demand for Thai pop music. He believes the withdrawal of the two channels will make no difference to the company's premium subscribers. Ong-ard said MTV Thailand and VH1 had told the cable company four to six months in advance that they would not renew their five-year contract. But due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations at the time, UBC-True was not able to disclose to the public the two channels' intentions to go elsewhere. MTV Thailand and VH1 have now joined Smile TV and are set to reach at least 2 million viewers through local cable operators. To quench the strong thirst for Thai pop music, UBC-True has introduced Ma Jung and True Music, both of which simply recycle old music videos on a loop. However Ong-ard is confident subscriber numbers will reach 650,000 by the end of the year. Tsui Ki Nan The Nation
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