Remedial measures sought for CTH customers

The company announced on Wednesday that its broadcasting service via the Ku-band satellite system would stop on August 1.

Supinya Klangnarong, chairwoman of the consumer rights protection committee at the National Broadcasting and Telecomm|unications Commission (NBTC), said yesterday that she had just been made aware of the issue.

She said the end of this service could have a severe impact on CTH customers.
Supinya added that apart from the end of Ku-band service, CTH had stopped providing its Z Pay TV programmes via the GMM Z platform.

“We do not know yet whether CTH wishes to stop [only] some of its services or close its operation [entirely]. Therefore, the NBTC has set up a fact-finding committee to investigate this matter,” she said.

An NBTC team led by Supinya will next week talk with representatives of the Office of the Consumer Protection Board about the issue.

CTH has told its customers to check their rights to get remedial measures via its website or call centre.

A TV industry source said that in line with the restructuring of its business model to an over-the-top provider and Internet service provider, CTH would shift its focus from pay-TV service.

A CTH source said the company gave up on trying to strike a deal with English Premier League broadcasting-rights holder BeIN Sports of Qatar to continue its live coverage of the EPL next season after its broadcasting rights ended at the conclusion of last season.

The source said CTH could not accept the 50-per-cent fee increase despite the fact that it would also have secured broadcasting rights to other major sport events via BeIN Sports.

BeIN Sports, an affiliate of the Al Jazeera news agency, reportedly offered the EPL US$250 million (Bt8.8 billion) to clinch the deal over two bids from Thailand – CTH and TrueVisions. The source said that even though BeIN Sports offered CTH a non-exclusive deal covering the EPL, Spain’s premier soccer league, La Liga, and other top-ranked sporting events through its channels, CTH finally declined to accept the offer.

It has also been reported that CTH does not plan to renew its contract with other international broadcasting networks such as Hong Kong-based Celestial Tiger Entertainment and Fox Networks Group Asia.

The Nation contacted Fox Networks Group Asia and its spokesperson said the company could not comment on contractual details of the partnership.

According to the Business Development Department of the Commerce Ministry, CTH reported a loss of Bt4.55 billion in 2014 and a Bt3.27-billion loss in 2013.