Govt supports creative industry, film in Thailand with 30% cash rebate
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra hosted a networking reception for Charles H. Rivkin, CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), along with his delegation of top executives from major US film companies, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on November 12, 2024,
According to the Prime Minister, Thailand strives to promote soft powers, and filming industry is one of the country’s soft powers that significantly generates income.
Thailand has learned well from the US on leveraging soft powers for business and income generation. Last year alone, over 450 films from 40 countries were shot in Thailand, among which 34 motion pictures were American productions. The filming industry generated an estimated revenue of US$190 million or approximately 7 billion Baht last year.
The Thai Government has a policy to support the creative industry and motion picture filming in Thailand through such investment promotions as a 30% cash rebate per project with no rebate ceiling. By implementing the measure, it is expected that Thailand will earn no less than 10 billion Baht in revenue the next year from foreign film shoots in the country.
Rivkin, chairman and chief executive officer of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), of which the members include Netflix, Disney, and HBO, among others, commended the Thai Government for offering privileges to foreign filmmakers. This will significantly incentivize those in the international film industry to consider Thailand as a prime location in the region for motion picture filming and help increase foreign investment in the country.
A number of MPA members have also shot films in Thailand, injecting approx. USD1.3 million per day and creating employment to the local economy.
Aside from MPA chairman and chief executive officer, senior executives from 7 leading filmmaking companies also attended the meeting, namely, Cathleen Taff (president of distribution, franchise, and audience insights for the Walt Disney Studios); Jay Roewe (Senior Vice President, Production Planning & Incentives at HBO/HBO MAX); Vernon Sanders (Head of Television at Amazon Studios); Chris Miller (General Counsel of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group); David Hyman (Chief Legal Officer for Netflix); Jill Ratner (Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Sony Pictures Entertainment); and Sharon Keyser (Senior VP, Government Relations & Planning at Paramount Pictures Corporation).
