TV stations get together to provide 'real-time' results

The Television Pool of Thailand and eight mainstream TV stations will be joining up to provide real-time results of the Bangkok gubernatorial election on March 3.

The information will be gathered and disseminated by Nation Multimedia Group's Nation Broadcasting Corporation (NBC).

The results will be collected with the support of 10 universities and 21 schools, which will station at least 5,000 students at 6,548 polling booths across the city. The TV stations will be able to report on the results as soon as voting ends. Releasing real-time voting figures is meant to boost transparency as well as ensure a fair and clean election.

As soon as election officials start counting the ballots, the figures will be sent real-time to a central data-processing centre via the Advanced Info Service (AIS) mobile network. TOT will also install a network linking AIS with the eight TV stations and the election-coordinating centre to ensure that information is shared in an efficient and speedy manner so viewers can keep up with official election results as soon as the counting of ballots begins.

Separately, the Television Pool of Thailand is teaming up with Rajabhat University's Somdej Chao Phraya campus and the Nation University to carry out an exit poll.

About 500 students will speak to 20,000 voters in 50 districts and results of the exit poll will be released as soon as the ballot boxes close at 3pm.