Modern telecommunications in Thailand began in 1875 with the deployment of the first telegraph service. Historically, the development of telecommunication networks in Thailand were in the hands of the public sector. Government organisations were established to provide telegraph, telephone, radio, and television services, and other government agencies, especially the military, still control a large estate of radio and television spectra. Private telecommunication operators initially acquired concession agreements with state enterprises. For mobile phone services, all the concessions have been amended by successive government to last 25 years have gradually ended in 2015. For other services, the concession terms and conditions vary, ranging from one to fifteen years. Nearly all of the concessions are build-operate-transfer (BTO) contracts. The private investor has to build all the required facilities and transfer them to the state before they can operate or offer services to public.
4DTV is a proprietary broadcasting standard and technology for digital cable broadcasting and C-band/Ku-band satellite dishes from Motorola, using General Instrument's DigiCipher II for encryption. It can tune in both analog VideoCipher II and digital DCII satellite channels.
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription, other ongoing cost, or one-off fee. In the traditional sense, this is carried on terrestrial radio signals and received with an antenna.
In cable television, governments apply a must-carry regulation stating that locally licensed television stations must be carried on a cable provider's system.
Superstation is a term in North American broadcasting that has several meanings. Commonly, a "superstation" is a form of distant signal, a broadcast television signal—usually a commercially licensed station—that is retransmitted via communications satellite or microwave relay to multichannel television providers over a broad area beyond its primary terrestrial signal range.
Thailand has a well-developed mass media sector, especially by Southeast Asian standards. The Thai government and the military have long exercised considerable control, especially over radio and TV stations. During the governments of Thaksin Shinawatra and the subsequent military-run administration after the 2006 coup and military coup of 2014, the media in Thailand—both domestic and foreign—have suffered from increasing restrictions and censorship, sometimes subtle, sometimes overt.
Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna commonly referred to as a satellite dish and a low-noise block downconverter.
A free-to-air or FTA Receiver is a satellite television receiver designed to receive unencrypted broadcasts. Modern decoders are typically compliant with the MPEG-4/DVB-S2 standard and formerly the MPEG-2/DVB-S standard, while older FTA receivers relied on analog satellite transmissions which have declined rapidly in recent years.
BEC World Public Company Limited, doing business as BEC World, is a Thai media conglomerate, best known as the operator of television Channel 3. It was founded in 1990 and listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 1995, though the group began doing business in 1967 as Bangkok Entertainment Co., Ltd., now a subsidiary. The business was founded by Vichai Maleenont, and continues to be majorly owned by the Maleenont family, though the company underwent major restructuring in the 2010s in response to major losses following landscape changes in the broadcast industry.
In Thailand, television broadcasting started on 24 June, 1955. Color telecasts were started in 1967, and full-time color transmissions were launched in 1975. As of November 2020, there are currently 21 digital (DVB-T2) TV channels in Thailand.
Currently, there are two primary satellite television providers of subscription based service available to United States consumers: DirecTV and Dish Network, which have 21 and 10 million subscribers respectively.
Satellite television varies in the different regions around the world.
The digital terrestrial television system was launched in Thailand in 2014. it employs DVB-T2 as its digital encoding standard.
Spring News is a Thai Television news channel owned by Spring News Television Ltd. part of News Network Corporation PCL.
True4U is a Thai digital terrestrial television channel owned by True4U Station Company Limited, a unit of TrueVisions, a subsidiary of True Corporation, part of the Charoen Pokphand Group and Telenor. It broadcasts news, entertainment and sport programs. True4U is broadcasting on Thailand digital television platform on channel 24.
PPTV, also known as PPTV HD and PPTV HD 36, an acronym for Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth Television) is a digital terrestrial television channel in Thailand, owned by Bangkok Media & Broadcasting Co., Ltd., a company managed by Prasarttong-Osoth, Bangkok Airways and Bangkok Hospital group owner, Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth.
Thairath TV is a digital terrestrial television channel owned by Triple V Broadcast Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the news publisher, Thairath, which was owned by Vacharaphol Co., Ltd., launched in April 2014 after they won a digital television broadcast license.
TNN is a Thai satellite, cable and digital terrestrial 24-hour news channel owned by Thai News Network (TNN) Co., Ltd., a unit of TrueVisions, a subsidiary of True Corporation, part of the Charoen Pokphand Group and Telenor, presents news, documentaries and sport news.
JKN Global Group Public Company Limited is a Thai multinational conglomerate founded by Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip. Its headquarters are in the JKN Empire building in Samut Prakan, Thailand. It comprises numerous businesses in various industries of foods, beverages, content distribution, cosmetics, health products, home shopping, energy drinks, entertainment, events, film, mass media, personal care, television advertisements, and television programs.
Top News is a Thai digital terrestrial, cable and satellite television channel and all-media news agency in Thailand, operated by Top News Digital Media Co., Ltd., founded by Sonthiyan Chuenruthainaitham and consists of many journalists who left Nation TV in November 2020. The channel is often attacked for its ultranationalist stance and inflammatory news coverage, but the channel insists that it offers the truth in every aspect that will lead to the protection of the country's 3 main institutions.
