NBTC sets digital TV auction method

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) approved the draft regulation on the method for digital TV auctions set to take place in August or September this year.

The regulation includes details for pre- and post- auction, said Col Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the NBTC’s broadcasting committee.

The Bangkok Post reports that the auction, called a forward auction, will comply with the electronic auction methods from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Bids for high-definition (HD) channels will increase by increments of 10 million baht(US$336 thousand), while standard-definition (SD) channel bids will rise by 5 million (US$168 thousand), news channels by 2 million per bid (US$67 thousand) and children’s channels by 1 million (US$34 thousand)

The earlier the round a bidder wins, the higher the priority it will have in choosing a channel number and network provider.

Public channels will be numbered from 1-12, with 13-15 children’s channels, 16-22 reserved for news channels, 23-29 for variety SD channels and 30-36 for variety HD channel.

The auction method was chosen to create competition, prevent collusion and avoid overpriced licences, Mr Sukonrat said.