Media touche launches 24-hour satellite channel

Media Touche (Thailand), a television content provider, has invested Bt70 million to launch a 24-hour free satellite TV channel.

It expects to break even on its investment within two years.

The company, which is a subsidiary of a Malaysian content provider for mobile phones called mTouche, made a soft launch of its My TV channel under the MVTV network last month.

The channel is MVTV's eighth.

Charndet Phrommanee, its country manager and regional product manager, yesterday said the channel features a variety of programmes, much like other free-TV channels, and does not focus on a single area.

It airs global TV series, game shows, the "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" series, entertainment, documentaries and shows with local and foreign music.

The company's studio plans to produce 50 per cent of its content.

"We want the channel to have a variety of shows, because not many people want to watch just one type of programme all day," Charndet said.

"By using this format, the channel should stick in the minds of viewers. Satellite stations now mainly compete on content."

To watch the channel, audiences have three options: installing a C-Band satellite dish, applying for membership with any of the 500 registered provincial cable-TV operators, or viewing through the Internet.

"Satellite TV is on the rise. Audiences have been rapidly growing at 20 per cent a year in the past few years," he said. "There is an audience of about 5 million watching satellite TV today."

Many unauthorised satellite dishes were taken down after authorities enforced the broadcasting act. As satellite TV draw more views, it is attracting attention from advertisers and ad agencies.

Charndet estimated that ad spending via the channel could be worth Bt3 billion this year. The total ad spending on television is estimated at about Bt50 billion this year.

He expects the firm to attract Bt5 billion in advertising annually in the next three years.

The advertising fee for the channel ranges from Bt15,000 to Bt20,000 per minute.It expects the fee to exceed Bt50,000 in the future.

Media Touche joined MVTV because the network has built up a reputation over the last four years, Charndet added.

To build awareness, it will spend Bt20 million from its Bt70-million budget to market the channel.

Charndet expects to expand the channel to other countries where its parent firm has a presence and where there are large Thai populations, such as in Vietnam.

Apart from Vietnam and Malaysia, the parent firm also operates in Indonesia and Singapore.

It plans to launch another satellite station next year.