True Visions plans to diversify into content production
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TRUE VISIONS, the country's biggest pay-TV operator, has set its sights on becoming the premier media and content company in the next three years by diversifying into the content-production business.
“We are going to synergise our existing businesses, including subscription-based TV and content copyright management, into a new arm of TV production from this year onwards,” said Birathon Kasemsri na Ayudhaya, head of commercial and business development at True Visions.
He acknowledged that the media landscape in the broadcasting industry has changed rapidly in the last couple of years, but he said True Corporation’s media arm would jump into national free-TV broadcasting by acquiring two licences for True4U station and Thai News Network (TNN 24).
Birathon said True Corp’s pay-TV arm, True Visions, would focus more on sponsoring TV programmes and broadcasting content copyright management on top of its main business, subscription-based TV, which currently contributes more than 80 per cent of total revenue. “We hope to see those businesses generate income evenly in the next three years,” he added.
True Visions will also set up a new unit to produce and supply TV programmes both for analog and digital terrestrial TV channels. By sponsoring TV programme production, the company aims to provide five TV programmes for Channel 3, TV5 and Channel 9 this year. For example, the company created “The Voice Thailand” and “The Winner Is” for Channel 3, and “Krua Bin Thai” for Channel 9.
Birathon said True Visions would produce more than 10 TV shows for existing and new broadcasting partners next year. Sponsorship and advertisement attracted by these shows are key sources of revenue. By the end of next year, the company aims to generate Bt500 million in revenue from the business.
As for management of broadcasting content copyright, True Visions has its own unit to acquire a wide spectrum of broadcasting rights, ranging from international TV series, films, documentaries and sport content.
Recently, True Visions announced a Bt4.2-billion investment for the broadcasting rights of live matches of the country’s four key football leagues for four consecutive years, until 2020, from the Football Association of Thailand. They will include 306 live matches from the Thai Premier League, 306 from the Yamaha League 1 (Thai Division 1 League), 114 from the Toyota League Cup and 85 from the Chang AF Club.
Birathon said the company was also interested in joining the new round of bids for the broadcasting rights to the Barclays Premier League.
However, he admitted that investment to acquire new content copyright had been increased by 20 per cent, from the normal subscription-based contract, because the company had to acquire all the rights to cover all media windows, such as free-to-air, pay-TV and Internet Protocol TV (iPTV).
With such a large content library, True Visions will be able to provide its content to other free TV stations on top of its affiliates – True4U and TNN 24.
