MCOT Public Company Limited is a state enterprise under the supervision of the Office of the Prime Minister. It was registered as a public company limited on August 17, 2004 by mean of the privatization from the Mass Communication Organization of Thailand (M.C.O.T) by virtue of the Capital of State Enterprise Act B.E 2542 (1999), and it was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand on October 8, 2004. Later, on November 17, 2004, MCOT Plc. offered its shares in the initial public offering as a listed company on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. The Company’s mission in mass communication business is to be the quality organization in media business that engages and moves forward with the Thai society. The core businesses fully operated by MCOT Plc. involve the television business, radio business, Thai News Agency, and digital terrestrial TV broadcast network and facility services. MCOT sets up two subsidiaries; namely, Panorama Worldwide Company Limited and SeedMCOT Company Limited . MCOT Plc. has also operated other businesses under joint operation agreements with two private operators; namely, Bangkok Entertainment Company Limited, the operator of Television Channel 3, and True Visions Cable Public Company Limited, an operator of subscription based television.
1The Board of Directors of MCOT Plc. at the Meeting No, 16/2016 on November 22, 2016, resolve to dissolve SeedMCOT Company Limited (operator of F.M. 97.5 MHz.), a subsidiary of MCOT Plc.
MCOT Plc. has defined the strategic objective aiming at increasing its competitiveness to enable the Company to be the mass media organization that operates its business with efficiency, creativity, and successfully performs its media roles under the vision of “Being a quality organization in a media business that engages and moves forward with the Thai society”. The business structure to attain the said vision is described below.
MCOT Plc. has operated its television business under the analog broadcast system, which is the primary broadcasting technology since the first launch of television business in Thailand. Nevertheless, Modernine TV will continue its broadcasting services under this analog broadcast system up to the middle of June 2018. In 2014, MCOT Plc. has begun the digital terrestrial television broadcasting network services according to 2 licenses to operate commercial digital terrestrial TV channels at the national level comprising a High Definition (HD) variety and Standard Definition (SD) Family channels, for the period of 15 years from April 25, 2014 to April 24, 2029.
Modernine TV
Modernine TV, a channel that is broadcast in an analog system is the key business of MCOT Plc. Its core operations include program production, broadcasting, and broadcasting control for 24 hours daily. Its signal is transmitted from the host station in Bangkok to 35 relay stations nationwide, covering 87 percent of areas across the country. The approximate population in those service areas is 88.5 percent. The Channel will terminate its analog broadcast services in the mid of 2018 within the frequency return period set by the NBTC.
9 MCOT HD (Channel 30)
9 MCOT HD (channel 30) is an HD variety channel. Currently, it simulcasts same programs with Modernine TV. It is broadcast 24 hours daily. Through MCOT’s digital terrestrial TV network, signal of 9 MCOT HD is transmitted to 39 relay stations and more than 129 supplementary stations, covering more than 22 million households or 70.40% of the population nationwide.
The Channel changed its logo identity and station name to be “9 MCOT HD”. Also, the slogan was changed in 2015 to be “See the World, Enjoy Happiness” in accordance with the increased competition in the digital terrestrial television industry where many channel operators try to capture working-class audience. These changes also responded to advertising buyers who tended to buy the advertising time on any television channels focusing on teenage and working-age and young viewers. Those logos and slogans have been applied up to now. MCOT’s recognized and favorite programs including Kub Kao Krob Praden (Fulfill All News Issues Program), Kao Dung Kham Wayla (Timeline Program), Kum Pee Vithi Ruay (How to Be Rich Program), and Kui Kamong Bai Sam Mong (3 P.M. News Talk Program), as well as licensed programs such as Modernine Cartoon, The Wonderful Animals, Korean Series, and Asian Series, etc.
In 2017, news and situation updates are added in the program proportion of Modernine TV and 9 MCOT HD, from 32.38 percent to 34.84 percent. These programs receive high ratings. MCOT is responsible for the entire production and receives exclusive rights in managing advertising time either in forms of spot or tie-in of such programs. Also, MCOT holds the exclusive rights in distributing the programs and formats in order to expand business in digital era. The proportion of edutainment programs increases from 9.82 percent to 20.04 percent in 2017. International documentary programs are broadcast during prime time. In addition, MCOT has joined hands with partners to broadcast new programs on 9 MCOT HD. As of December 2017, the programs produced by MCOT Plc. accounted for 84.21 percent. The proportion of 9 MCOT HD is as follows:
| News and situation report | 34.84% |
| Entertainment | 30.22% |
| Edutainment | 20.04% |
| General Knowledge | 11.68% |
| Sports | 3.22% |
For news program, The Thai News Agency has shaped its news presentation style with a focus on promptness, comprehensiveness, and accuracy in forms of general news, news documentaries, interviews with persons related to hot news, live news reports and special scoops covering both headline news and current issues. The production of news program and situation report has been refreshed. News scoops and news footage in different views have been created by using the new shooting equipment, e.g. objective camera, action camera, and drone in order to produce bird-eye-view footages in different perspectives. Social media has been more utilized to present the special news reports. The international news produced by leading and internationally-accepted news agencies has been presented so that the viewers would be able to keep updated with situations around the world. The Thai News Agency has also assigned the news reporting team to various countries to report any interesting news to Thai people. In addition, MCOT Plc. and Panorama Worldwide Co., Ltd. have mutually produced a television program, “Timeline, which presented past hot news and contents and added more value of significant news resources. This program became one of the most popular programs among viewers.
Moreover, several in-house programs produced by Nine Entertain Business Department have been so popular, and have generated more revenues consistently such as Nine Entertain program broadcast on Monday-Friday at 11.30 – 12.00 hrs, Tok Mun Bun Teung broadcast on Monday-Friday at 16.15 – 17.00 hrs, etc. The programs’ strengths lie in its presentation styles focusing on informative, creative and impartial entertainment and edutainment reports. The program production is based on MCOT Plc.’s full capacity and technologies to ensure the most up-to-date contents delivered to viewers promptly. Moreover, MCOT Plc. is the leader of entertainment news coverage and constantly provokes hot issues to the public’s eye. MCOT Plc. also used mobile satellite broadcast equipment for live reporting of entertainment news for prompt and convenient viewing. In addition, MCOT Plc. has expanded the viewer base to new generation of viewers via www.nineentertain.tv and www.facebook.com/9entertain. The clips have been published broadcast via www.youtube.com and www.facebook.com/9entertain that receives more than 4.1 million likes higher than last year. This deemed the entertainment news is most viewed on the social media. Nine Entertain is also the first entertainment news program broadcast on LINE TV to under the name of “Nine Entertain Official”.
MCOT Family Channel (Channel 14)
MCOT Family is a standard definition (SD) in DTT system on Channel 14 in the category of children, youth and family. The channel produces and broadcasts constructive contents focusing on edutainment, knowledge and information that are inspiring for children and youth aged between 4-12 years, and also suitable for housewives and family members.
In 2017, MCOT Plc. has revamped the program scheduling on MCOT Family Channel 14 to be suitable for every family member all the day, but the broadcast schedule was arranged specifically for each group of viewers. For example, the programs for children were broadcast before 8.00 a.m. and the consequent programs were presented for general mothers and housewives. Then, after school hours, the TV programs are suitable for the family.
The programs produced by MCOT Family Channel 14 as of December 2017 accounted for 82.74 percent of the total programs broadcast on the channel. The broadcast percentages based on program categories were:
| Entertainment | 42.57% |
| General Knowledge | 20.27% |
| News and situation report | 14.53% |
| Program Promotion/Public Services | 13.37% |
| Edutainment | 5.79% |
| Sports | 3.48% |
The programs delicately selected and broadcast via MCOT Family channel included “Mom Club”, a variety program presenting stories of love and care to women in the role of “motherhood” through 3 mother hosts.
MCOT Family Channel has utilized its expertise in selecting the international cartoon programs and collaborated with business alliances to present popular and classic cartoon programs. This channel has also broadcast several major live sports programs, e.g. EFL Championship, and Carabao Cup, which have attracted more male viewers. Presentation of some programs in specific blocks is changed to enable MCOT Family 14 to become the station for the state and startups/SMEs to serve new clients in SME industry.
MCOT Plc. fully operates the entire structure of radio business, including production, marketing and management. Under the slogan “Modern Voice for Knowledge-Based Society,” MCOT Radio Network broadcasts a wide variety of informative and entertaining radio programs carefully designed to educate and improve the quality of life of the listeners, and to offer public services to local communities and society at large under an image of modern radio station network. The network consists of 62 central and regional radio stations broadcasting in FM and AM frequencies. Bangkok is the base station of the central area broadcasting through 9 radio stations-7 FM and 2 AM stations-covering service areas in Bangkok and vicinity. The other 53 FM radio stations are located in provinces across the country covering 92.4 percent of the national area. The population in the target service areas is 93.8 percent.
Apart from traditional radio broadcast, the network airs its live and rerun on other platforms such as www.mcot.net and smartphone applications, YouTube and Facebook.
The Order No. 76/2559 by Head of the National Council for Peace and Order regarding Measures for Promoting Business Operation of Radio Broadcast, Television and Telecommunication for Public Interest defines that the government entities, state enterprises or government agencies, which have operated the broadcast business in accordance with the Broadcasting and Television Business Operations Act of 2008 that have possessed the spectrum in accordance with the Act on Organization for Allocation of Frequencies and Supervision of Broadcasting and Telecommunications Business B.E. 2553 retain the rights in the operation of radio broadcast, and the spectrum possession shall be under the same scope and rights; this enabled the Company to continue its radio broadcast service using the same frequencies.
The MCOT central FM and AM radio stations Each MCOT radio station formulates its position and specific target audiences explicitly. The production and presentation formats or format station of each are as follows:
MCOT Local Radio Stations MCOT Plc. defines that the regional radio networks produce programs for local radio stations. The production and presentation format is based on public and local interest. Each program contains both knowledge and entertainment (edutainment), and allows public participation. The programs may be categorized into 3 as follows:
Moreover, MCOT Plc. has initiated a cluster production format to create region-specific programs for local listeners. Cluster stations present local programs that are fresh and unique. The program popularity is added by producing a program by a local radio station, which would be broadcast in other local radio stations in the same region. Major station clusters are as follows:
The Thai News Agency is the Company’s center for production, collection, storage and dissemination of neutral, accurate, reliable and timely news and information based on professional standards. Its contents are delivered through different media channels operated by MCOT Plc., including MCOT television and radio networks, electronic and online digital media, social media and SMS via mobile phones, and news exchange with foreign alliances. The Agency is one of centers sharing and distributing Thai news to countries around the world.
Currently, The Thai News Agency offers an appropriate proportion of Thai and international news in forms of general news, news documentaries, interviews with persons related to issues of current interest, live reports, and special scoops. The Thai News Agency has regional offices located in four regions: Central and Eastern News Center, Northern News Center at Chiang Mai province, Northeastern News Center at Khon Khen province, Southern News Center at Hat Yai District in Songkhla province.
The sources of international news presented were mainly the world’s recognized and reliable news agencies such as Agence France Press (AFP), Associated Press (AP), Associated Press Television News (APTN), Sport News Television (SNTV), China Central Television (CCTV), Deutsche Welle Germany, Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), Reuters and Reuters TV.
In addition, the Thai News Agency is a member of ASIAVISION, a news agency of ABU (Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union) and a network for exchanging TV news with 34 TV stations from 30 countries. The network directly feeds news from country members for broadcasting in Thailand and vice versa. is also the partner of European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU). The Thai News Agency is also a member of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), which provides direct news exchange among 44 members from 35 countries.
The International News Department of the Thai News Agency plays a major role in ASIAVISION, both in management and information sharing. The executive of the Thai News Agency has been selected as the Chairman of ASIAVISION for 2 terms from Year 2005-2014. In 2017, the Thai News Agency was given the Best News Story of the Month or AVN Monthly Award in April.
Apart from international news alliances, the Thai News Agency has participated in the ASEAN Exchange and Cooperation Project with news agencies of other ASEAN member countries, i.e. Lao PDR, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and Negara Brunei Darussalam.
The Thai News Agency provides news services through various media as described below.
Television
Live news reporting programs produced by the Thai News Agency are:
Radio
Digital media, e.g. online media (website), social media SMS via mobile phone news service, etc.
The provision of Digital Terrestrial Television Network and Facility Services at National Level allows linkage system for transmitters or radio or television broadcast used for distributing public news and information or station programs, regardless of types of transmission media conducted media, frequency, spectrum, electromagnetic or others.
MCOT Plc. has installed equipment for providing DTT broadcasting services in the Second Generation Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting System (DVB-T2) in compliance with the NBTC’s notification. The DVB-T2 technology is widely selected by leading network providers overseas. The equipment for television signal transmission consists of devices for compressing and compiling audio, visual and data signals into one batch before transmitting it to the destination networks under DVB-T2 standard. These services necessarily require:
Such license adds business opportunities to MCOT Plc. as the sole mass communication business operator to provide fully integrated digital television services. This advantage becomes another revenue generating channel for MCOT Plc. The provision of digital television network services began in April 2014 with the service capacity for 6 Standard Definition channels and 2 High Definition channels. The number of channels and service rates must be revised when any channel operators select High Definition services. The target clients of MCOT Plc. are:
Currently, MCOT Plc. provides its services for commercial DTT channels via the national digital terrestrial spectrum to the following operators:
MCOT Plc. has expanded its DTT network by installing the infrastructure on all 4 main stations, and the network on 39 main stations and 129 supplementary stations to cover 95.1 percent of total households from June 15, 2017 onward. This is in accordance with the requirements of the NBTC enable audience to view the programs via TV terrestrial television receiver with DVB-T2 installed inside (built-in Tuner) and via Set top Box.
Apart from the provision of infrastructure on such 4 main stations, MCOT Plc. has made additional investment in other equipment to provide its service in the digital network. MCOT Plc. has also planned to lease such infrastructure to other network service providers.
Satellite TV business in C band / True Visions
MCOT Plc. has managed the satellite TV channels in C band / True Visions by providing the broadcasting service to the leading television channel producers as follows:
The satellite TV channels that MCOT Plc. has operated, but their broadcasting has been stopped were as follows:
Digital media business
The website at URL: www.mcot.net is a new tool for viewing a variety of MCOT programs, either live or recorded programs, and on-demand programs broadcast through Modernine, 9 MCOT HD, MCOT Family, and radio stations under MCOT RADIO Network via internet. The website is also a channel publicizing the businesses operated by MCOT Plc. and joint business organizations. MCOT Plc. has also initiated more marketing activities on online media by expanding the viewer base from the traditional media to the digital media and social media.
In 2017, MCOT Plc. has prioritized the digital business development as another alternative of revenue earning by means of infrastructure development of the digital service for more efficiency of usage and data quick access, website development for attractiveness, efficiency, and compatibilities with all instruments, audience and data collection development, membership system development, and acquisition of local and foreign alliances for copyrighted contents to be broadcast on the digital media operated by MCOT Plc., e.g. Chinese series, documentary programs, etc. These alliances also helped disseminated the contents of MCOT Plc. via internet.
MCOT Talent Management
MCOT Talent Manager is a core division responsible for scouting and grooming talents, either in front of or behind the scene, in the fields of entertainment/mass media, for managing artists of MCOT Plc., and for taking care of artists’ image to allow certain talented artists to develop their roles and abilities in the entertainment field in the intense-competition digital TV era such as program hosts, anchors, performing artists, and actors as well as product presenters and working in other areas in the entertainment field. Currently, the artists under the supervision of MCOT Plc. have launched their works in music, drama and movie, etc., which reaffirms the role of MCOT Plc. as the leading mass communication organization in Thailand. MCOT Talent Management Division is also in charge of creating a variety of activities, and organizing sales promotion activities as well as image promotion events with mutual aims at producing premium works to satisfy clients under a reasonable budget, and at generating revenues for MCOT Plc. when the clients obtain the most pleasing and impressive works.
MCOT Plc. has also operated another three non-broadcast businesses; namely, event and organizer business, MCOT Creative Travel business, which is the tourism business together with the program promotion activities, and intellectual property business for better revenue earning, and maximum business interest of MCOT program production and broadcast.
The other non-broadcast businesses that have been under development for revenue earning included the business on 2600 MHz in MMDS system, and the property development business, which deemed the asset with potential of making profit for MCOT Plc. in the long run.
MCOT Academy
MCOT Academy is the mass media training institute of MCOT Plc. for generating revenues from non-broadcast businesses under the name of “MCOT Academy”. It has been equipped by a large group of qualified and experienced professionals as well as knowledge base in mass media, which are internal resources of MCOT Plc. MCOT Academy provides a wide range of mass media training courses designed for mass media professionals and other persons interested in mass media for their preparedness, knowledge acquisition, and professional skill development in mass media and other related fields. Apart from some specific curriculums of MCOT Academy, in 2017, MCOT Academy has initiated 5 new programs; namely, “Preparation for Professions in the Entertainment Industry” program, “Public Relation Techniques in the Age of Thailand 4.0” program, “Senior Executive” program, A social talk “Thai Society, Sure before Share: When Thais Trust Social Media rather than Doctors”, and an open-idea activity “Cultivate News, Revive Bio-Life”. Besides, the National Broadcasting Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and MCOT Plc. signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the provision of the training course on radio and television presenters with an aim at promoting and improving personnel’s competency in the radio and television broadcasting business. MCOT Academy has provided such program for 3 consecutive years in 3 levels, e.g. Radio and Television Anchors in elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels. There were two classes for each level. This project under the Memorandum of Understanding between both agencies would continue up to 2017.
Subsidiaries
Panorama Worldwide Company Limited
Panorama Worldwide Company Limited was established on November 21, 2003 as a subsidiary of MCOT Plc. who holds 49 percent of the company’s total shares. The subsidiary is a producer and distributor of television programs and documentaries for local and international television stations, cable TV stations, satellite TV stations and digital TV stations. It also produces video and public relations materials for public and private sectors, and sells footages to documentaries producers in Thailand and abroad.
Panorama Worldwide is a well-known quality documentaries production house run by highly skilled and knowledgeable teams with almost 20 years of experience in the field. It has produced a wide range of documentaries and public relations materials since 2003 up to now. Although the documentary programs contain informative content, they are attractive to a limited target audience group. Therefore, presentation of documentary programs is improved to make them more interesting and attractive. This improvement aimed at stimulating interest of audience in modern documentary programs. Meanwhile, the number of producers of documentary programs is a few. Since the competition is not quite high, it deemed beneficial for Panorama Worldwide to compete in the documentary market.
At present, the core business of Panorama Worldwide is to produce the documentaries programs (Production House), which includes:
In 2016, Panorama Worldwide has implemented the plan to add new services to be in line with its existing services. These new services build and develop MCOT personnel to gain more experience and to gain additional revenues in the future. The new services include:
SeedMCOT Company Limited
SeedMCOT has operated all types of entertainment businesses, and advisory service, for example, the organization of concerts, stageplay, and fashion shows, the trading of cinema camera, Video recorder, cassette player and television materials transmitter (video), movie projector, slide projector, all types of films, and film editing equipment. The nature of business involves the production of radio programs in FM system (SEED 97.5 FM), the organization of concerts, the production of television programs, the production of music and other digital products, and other business operations. However, SEED MCOT Co., Ltd. has suffered a loss since 2014 and its situation worsened. Therefore, at the meeting of the Board of Directors, No. 16/2016 on November 22, 2016 passed the resolution to dissolve SEED MCOT Co., Ltd. (FM 97.5 MHz), a subsidiary of MCOT Plc., due to liquidity in business operation from sharp decline in revenues as a result of the change in radio listening behavior of the listeners. Then, MCOT Plc. decided to manage and revise this radio frequency to fit to the changing consumer behavior. At present, it was under the process of selling the assets of SEED MCOT Co., Ltd., and of claiming refund for corporate income tax from the Revenue Department.
Joint Operation Business
MCOT Plc. has entered into joint operation agreements with private operators, earning revenues in the form of reward from 2 main joint businesses, as follows:
