This move is in response to the upcoming expiration of digital TV licences in 2029 and will help transition from traditional broadcasting to online streams.

An advisory firm is being hired to guide this shift, which would involve establishing a single over-the-top (OTT) platform to centralize TV channels, ads, and viewer data. Discussions are ongoing regarding the benefits of having a singular platform for better management and improved advertiser analytics.

This shift is also motivated by the need to reallocate broadcasting frequencies to telecom services as mandated by the International Telecommunication Union.

With increasing demands for telecom bandwidth, TV broadcast frequencies will shrink by over 35%. The future of broadcasting will likely not support more than five channels in 4K resolution with the current bandwidth range.

NBTC Commissioner Pirongrong Ramasoota highlights that digital streaming will become increasingly important, stating that the national platform will centralize advertising and audience data, keeping advertising revenue within Thailand.

Currently, with diverse platforms for TV content streaming, measuring audience ratings is challenging—a national platform would standardize this. Additionally, artificial intelligence will be used to track content, and a social credit system will promote quality programming.

Under the Digital Platform Business Supervision Act, effective from August 21, the NBTC now regulates all OTT services in Thailand, ensuring content is suitable for all audiences and forbidding explicit material and unauthorized food and drug ads.