Guest fountainhall Posted December 21, 2012 Posted December 21, 2012 Back in the summer, there was a somewhat heated thread titled "Thailand's Daily Newspapers get their Knickers in a Twist" about the failure of True Visions to air the 2012 European Soccer Championships on the usual local free-to-air signals which True carries. The moderators decided the discussion was too heated and locked the thread. Those Championships are long over. But one issue raised in that thread has come back front and centre in the Thai media. True’s near monopoly position was aired in the thread, a position immeasurably strengthened when True won the rights to air the English Premier Division soccer matches some years ago. Partly on the back of this deal, True generated vastly more revenue through special packages built around those soccer matches since soccer is virtually the national sport. When the government then allowed it to carry paid advertising, True’s revenues increased even more. Did it benefit subscribers? Perhaps a bit. But Thai subcscribers now pay higher fees for cable/satellite TV than most other countries for an inferior service in terms of channels carried. If I were in True’s Executive Suite right now, I’d be more than a little worried about how to maintain that revenue stream. For, as has just been announced, True failed to win the rights for the next 3-year deal with the English Premier League. So True can not carry any of these matches. The rights have been awarded to a very new entrant in the cable business, Cable Thai Holdings. According to the Nation, CTH paid a whopping 432% increase on True’s winning bid 3 years ago. To be fair, this year’s rights also include Cambodia and Vietnam. But True Vision’s executives, who must have expected to win with their bid, are surely now wondering how on earth they will maintain their subscriber base. For the second time in a year, they have scored an own goal! Arrogrance? Who knows? I just want to know how I can see soccer and how much it will cost me. Mind you, perhaps there will be a silver lining for some viewers if True Visions will now concentrate on some other sports, especially the American sports that several posters have been calling for. http://www.nationmul...r-30196499.html Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted December 26, 2012 Posted December 26, 2012 Perhaps not ideal to extend this thread, but my comment is about True Visions and a declining service to subscribers - so this seems as good a place as any. Yesterday I received my Programme Guide ("Premiere") for January. I was surprised to note that it is less than half the size of the more recent issues. Looking inside, the amount of advertising seems about the same. What has been cut is all reference to any programming (except some sports channels) between around midnight and 6:00pm. Worse, information on some channels has disappeared altogether. It is, frankly, a disgrace and clearly a way for True to reduce its costs to the detriment of subscribers. What about those who like to set the recorders that True has been plugging away for months to record programmes during the day or in the middle of the night? I called the hotline this morrning. A very pleasant young man told me it was an attempt by True to reduce use of paper! I asked why subscribers had not been notified. He told me there was a note in all the December copies. I checked. Nothing in mine. I then explained to him that recycling paper is now quite common and that many condominiums like mine had separate paper trash bins precisely for that purpose. So the excuse about cutting down on paper is too weak to hold up. There was no point in saying more as he had not made the decision. He agreed to relay the message up the chain. He did point out, though, that the hotline has been inundated with complaints. If anyone else finds this ridiculous, I hope they will phone True Visions on 02 725 2525 and complain. Alternatively, there is an on-line comment form here - http://www.truevisio.../contactus.aspx Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted January 8, 2013 Posted January 8, 2013 Surprise! Surprise! After my complaints, I received an email with a further string of excuses why it was no longer necessary to have a full month's printed programme Guide. Most was rubbish - in that none was any justification for what is clearly just a cost-cutting exercise. However, it did add that there was another Guide which would continue to be printed for a few months and which they would send to me. It arrived today. And another surprise! This is exactly the same as the old Premiere Guide - but without the ads! It's perfect and much slimmer. So if you haven't complained, and wish the new guide, please call or email them. I note in today's papers that the loss of the English Premiere League rights has forced the station to slash the cost of its basic package for new subscribers. I’ll bet that more reductions will soon appear in an effort to keep existing subscribers. Quote
Guest globalwanderer Posted January 19, 2013 Posted January 19, 2013 Fountainhall. Lucky you, despite calls we have not received out January Guide, in either format. We've already decided to ditch them in the summer, like I think many when their Premier League rights expire Quote
Guest joseph44 Posted January 20, 2013 Posted January 20, 2013 Seems that ESPN is going to be taken over/replaced by FOX (regarding sports-broadcasts), which means that major European soccer-matches will be broadcasted. (FOX bought most of the rights). Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted January 20, 2013 Posted January 20, 2013 Not sure where you got that information , but it seems to be contradicted by the media. This USA Today report indicates that ESPN/FOX failed to get the new rights from August 2013 onwards. These have been awarded to NBC in the US. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2012/10/28/nbc-secures-english-premier-league-soccer-rights/1664681/ Other sites indicate that Fox Soccer will soon be 'dead' as News Corp. is considering converting that channel into an entertainment subsidiary of FX. http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php/2013/01/16/fox-soccer-may-be-killed-off-by-news-corp-after-losing-epl-rights/ As for Thailand, Cable Thai Holdings have definitely acquired the rights. How they will distribute the programmes, though, has not yet been announced. http://www.epfl-europeanleagues.com/pl_rights.htm Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted January 26, 2013 Posted January 26, 2013 Cable Thai Holdings apparently has formed a group of 300 local cable TV operators as it seeks to expand its subscriber base ahead of the start of the English Premiere League in August. It has also earmarked Bt. 1 billion to increase programme content. A deal has been completed with Hong Kong based Celestial Tiger Entertainment for three channels - none of which sound the least bit interesting to me. Thrill Channel will have popular Hollywood and Asia movies and well-known reality shows (can there really be more out there than True Visions already shows? ) with the accent on thrillers and horror, Celestial Classic Movies will offer only old Chinese movies, and Kix channel non-stop action programmes. Apparently CTH's new set top boxes to be rolled out next month will offer 120 channels including 20 in high definition. No details yet about the package price for the EPL matches. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/CTH-to-spend-Bt1-bn-to-acquire-new-TV-shows-30198720.html Quote
