The Digital Media Asia 2010 (DMA 2010) scheme was launched last week with the aim of driving Thailand to become the hub of the digital-content industry in the Asia-Pacific region within the next three years.
Speaking at the launch, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the scheme was part of the government's creative-economy policy and a vital project to drive Thailand's digital content into overseas markets and to attract foreign investment to the country.
"Digital content is an important industry and the government is concern about it. As a flagship project, DMA 2010 is supported by a grant of Bt200 million from the government's Thai Khemkhaeng stimulus package. We hope that Thailand will become the hub of digital-content development in this region within the next three years," he said.
Thailand's digital-content industry is quite small when compared to the global market. But with the readiness of government support, the engagement of the private sector and the creativity of Thai people, it will not be too difficult to encourage Thailand to gain a greater market share in the global digital-content industry, Abhisit said.
Software Industry Promotion Agency (Sipa) president Jeerasak Pongpisanupichit said there were 10 main projects under the DMA 2010 scheme, in four main categories: animation, games, movies and music. These will be kicked off throughout this year.
Sipa's role is to develop the country's software technology and human resources for information-technology industries, enabling Thailand to become the regional hub of an Asia-wide creative economy in three to five years, he said.
Activities under DMA 2010 include Cyber Games Asia 2010, Toy and Comic Expo Asia 2010, Animation Youth Festival Asia, Asian Business Matching for a Creative Economy, Film Expo Asia, Asia Music Festival 2010, Asia Animation Awards; Asia Game Awards, Asia Music Awards, Venture-Capital Forum Asia, Animation and Computer Graphics ASIA Expo, Professional Game Training Asia and Professional Animation Training Asia.
