The Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) is a public broadcasting service that was established in 2008. The broadcaster was previously operating under the name iTV. The history of Thai PBS dates back to 2006, when the Surayud administration formed a task force to conduct a study on transforming iTV, a privately owned channel, into a public service broadcaster. At the time, iTV was facing allegations of violating its broadcast license conditions by changing its programming without authorization.
Media assets
Television: TPBS, ALTV
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Public/State-Owned Media (CaPu)
Ownership and governance
Thai PBS was established in accordance with the Thai Public Broadcasting Service Act, BE 2551, which came into force in January 2008. In line with the law, Thai PBS is a state agency with legal personality. However, it is not a government body (an agency directly subordinated to a state authority) or a state-owned company. The Thai PBS’s governing structure was designed in such a way as to prevent politicians from directly controlling the appointment process for members of the board.
Source of funding and budget
From the outset, the team responsible for developing the Thai PBS strategy faced the challenge of identifying a financing structure that would safeguard the channel from political influence and pressure. Consequently, Thai PBS receives financing from sin taxes, which are fiscal revenues derived from excise taxes imposed by the government on goods and services deemed detrimental to society (such as alcohol, fast food, gambling, or pornography). The broadcaster receives an annual state subsidy amounting to THB 2bn (equivalent to US$ 62.6m at current prices in 2021).
Editorial independence
Thai PBS was established with the explicit goal of maintaining its editorial independence from political influence or interference from state authorities. This governance design was instrumental in guaranteeing the editorial independence of the broadcaster. Another mechanism for ensuring direct accountability to the public was the establishment of a Viewers Committee, whose role is to assess the broadcaster’s performance. Thai PBS welcomes feedback from viewers regarding its programming.
The broadcaster has a Policy Board that is responsible for establishing and enforcing professional ethics and editorial integrity standards.
Despite the assurances of editorial independence, Thai PBS has consistently faced challenges from various governments. It is not uncommon for government officials to accuse Thai PBS of not providing sufficient coverage of government activities or to request that the broadcaster disseminate government-related news. This is based on the premise that Thai PBS is financed by the state, given that sin taxes are collected by the government. Consequently, it is expected to disseminate news related to the government.
Despite the aforementioned challenges and the highly politicized environment, Thai PBS has historically demonstrated an ability to maintain editorial independence to the greatest extent possible.
However, over the past two years, the broadcaster has appeared to become increasingly responsive to government pressures. Thai PBS was criticized for, for example, removing an interview with the Taiwanese foreign minister in response to pressure from the Chinese embassy in Bangkok. A journalist described the removal of the interview as “alarming.”
In interviews conducted in January 2024, several journalists stated that this incident was an isolated occurrence and that the Thai PSB maintains a balanced approach to political coverage. However, the majority of journalists consulted for this report indicated that the government has recently increased its pressure on the broadcaster, limiting its freedom to distribute certain content. In the event that the government requests the removal of content from Thai PBS, the broadcaster is unable to oppose this request.
In light of these developments, in 2024, we have decided to reclassify Thai PSB from the Independent Public (IP) category to the Captured Public/State-Owned Media (CaPu) category.
September 2024