Cable Thai Hlding (CTH) group bid 10 billion baht (US$321 million) for rights in the sporting seasons 2013-2014 through 2015-2016. These cable operators then have seen strong enrollments in a growing market. The CTH subscriber base is approximately 3.1 million at present. It had 2.5 million subscribers in 2012, and is aiming to raise its subscriber base to 3.5 million by the end of 2013 and 7 million by the end of 2015.
The former EPL rights holder, TrueVisions, has experienced a slight decline in its premium subscriber base, from 435,000 at the end of 2012 to 393,000 at the end of 2Q 2013. CTH is said to be taking away TrueVisions' premium subscribers after TrueVisions had lost the EPL rights package. In order to cover the loss of EPL rights, TrueVisions is using different strategic moves such as cutting the price of basic packages by 40% early this year and adding more HD channels to its services. Recent announcement of prepaid TV services could be one of the strategies to maintain subscriber growth after the loss of EPL broadcasting rights.
