MV TV chief focuses on overseas business, eyes opportunity in Laos, Myanmar

In the first media interview given since then, Chaiyut Tavipvoradech, president of MV Television (Thailand), reveals his new milestones now that the company’s stronghold line of business – satellite-TV channels – has become a sunset sector in the Kingdom, due to the media landscape changing dramatically with the arrival two years ago of digital terrestrial-TV broadcasting service.

“We are now putting more emphasis on overseas business, such as digital/analog terrestrial-TV business in Laos, while seeking a new opportunity in Myanmar,” he said.

Since 2006, MV Television (Thailand) has had a 30-year broadcasting concession contract from the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism to operate MV Lao – the national commercial free-to-air TV stations in the analogue and digital terrestrial systems. 

In a collaboration between the Lao government and the Thai private company, MV Lao commenced its analog broadcasting service |in 2010 with initial registered capital of US$2.4 million (Bt84.5 million).

Early next year, MV Lao station will start broadcasting in the digital terrestrial-TV system, he added.

Chaiyut acknowledged that his satellite-TV business in Thailand had been affected by the major change in the media landscape, with the shifting of regulatory policy to promote digital terrestrial-TV broadcasting rather than satellite free-to-air TV business.

MV Television (Thailand) currently operates six satellite-TV stations in the Kingdom: MVTV Family, Modern India TV, Major Channel Mix, Five Channel, Esan TV and Major Channel Asian.

“Following such a series of changes at home, we have to focus more on business in neighbouring countries,” he stressed.

MV Television is witnessing a tremendous opportunity in landlocked Laos, particularly following the implementation of the Asean Economic Community at the start of the year, he said.

“There are many Thai companies that are expanding their footprint in Laos. MV Lao seems to be one of their top choices to raise brand awareness in this 6.77 million-strong population country,” the president said.

“Laos is not just a landlocked destination, as it is now becoming a key link in the Asean sub-continent,” he explained.

Asked about the strengths of MV Television, Chaiyut said his company had laid cornerstones with leading content providers in Asia – Taiwan-based TVB and Singapore’s Media Corp – enabling it to provide a number of top-rated TV programmes produced by these distributors.

In addition, his company has been awarded the rights to organise international beauty pageants like “Miss Grand Laos” and “Miss Chinese International”, which could help the TV station create related on-ground activities to build its own audiences, as well as to attract more sponsors and advertisers to participate in the events.

The president said the company was now also in discussion with several media business partners in Yangon, the commercial capital of Myanmar. While declining to comment on the details of these talks, he said it was possible that MV Television would get rights either to run its own TV station or to distribute the content it has obtained to local broadcasters in Myanmar.

Given these strategies, the company expects to see an increase in the revenue contribution from overseas business. 

It targets 60 per cent of overall revenue coming from business in Laos and Myanmar by the end of this year, he said.

Before the arrival of digital-TV broadcasting in the country, 60 to 70 per cent of MV Television (Thailand)’s income was domestically generated, he added.