In order to keep up with the competition as well as keep with the market demands, Thailand’s Samart Corporation has launched its own brand of STBs for terrestrial digital TV. Currently 24 digital broadcast licences are up for auction in Thailand and the country’s transition to digital terrestrial television is one of the top priorities of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
Samart’s Strong high-definition (HD) STB will comply with the general broadcasting standards and will cost USD 36 approximately. President Watchai Vilailuck said, “We intend to sell 1 million digital set-top boxes next year, increasing to 5 million units or 20% of the total market by 2016.” He also elaborated that the company intends to sell as much as 200,000 STBs in the next two months.
There are 22 million television households in Thailand. Samart also intends on launching two other types of STBs by May of next year to suit all needs – one high end and the other a cheaper version. The auction itself is set to take place as soon as next month or early January 2014. And the channels will start broadcasting in the first quarter of 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment