Bangkok: The future of Thai television is in crisis as the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and Srinakharinwirot University urge the government to provide urgent support for a sustainable solution. The Safe and Creative Media Development Fund has unveiled its vision for "Thai Television in the Next Decade," highlighting the critical state of the terrestrial television industry due to the dominance of multinational smart TV operating systems. This shift has obscured Thai TV channels, leading to a decline in advertising revenue and impacting content quality.

According to Thai News Agency, Pirongrong, a member of the NBTC, alongside a research team from Srinakharinwirot University, is pressing the government to elevate this issue to a national strategic policy. They advocate for urgent legislation to collect revenue from global platforms to support Thai media professionals, providing a fundamental guarantee for societal sustainability.

At the Media Alert academic seminar titled "The Picture of Thai Television in the Next Decade: Creating a Sustainable Content Industry and Thai Society," organized by the Safe and Creative Media Development Fund, significant research findings and policy recommendations were presented. The seminar addressed the crisis facing the Thai television industry amidst the digital disruption era.

Professor Emeritus Dr. Pirongrong Ramsoot, part of the NBTC, emphasized the drastic changes in the media landscape. While TV screens remain a fixture in living rooms, global smart TV operating systems have taken over as new gatekeepers, prominently featuring multinational platforms and diminishing the visibility of Thai television channels.

The seminar also highlighted the need for the Thai government to transition from "Must Carry" regulations to "Must Find" measures. This would involve mandating smart TVs to prominently display Thai television channels, preserving the identity of Thai media. The draft of a new broadcasting and television master plan is still under consideration by the NBTC board, as the previous plan expired in August 2025, delaying the process and necessitating the use of the old plan in the interim.

This perspective aligns with findings from Srinakharinwirot University's College of Social Communication Innovation. Their research, led by Dr. Patthira Theerasawat and colleagues, revealed a "distorted programming phenomenon" due to the media economic crisis. Stations have reduced production costs, leading to an increase in dramatic news trends and home shopping programs, while in-depth analytical and children's programs have nearly disappeared. Local content averages only 1.2% of programming; however, consumers still prefer Thai content, with local language video-on-demand accounting for 42% of viewing, primarily on streaming applications.

For a sustainable solution, researchers and experts propose recognizing Thai free-to-air television as a "basic social safety net," essential for public access to reliable information in crises. They urge the government to provide direct industrial policy support, enact legislation to collect revenue from multinational platforms to subsidize local media, akin to laws in Australia and Canada, and accelerate the development of hybrid TV (HbbTV) infrastructure to ensure the Thai media industry's survival in the next decade.