productioninterview
World of Himmapan
Basically, we should be focusing on freeto-air, with OTT as something extra. Streaming is a difficult business... Right now, free-toair is my main business.” Anne Jakrajutatip CEO, JKN Global Media PLC, Thailand
yet. Basically, we should be focusing on free-to-air, with OTT as something extra. Streaming is a difficult business... Right now, free-to-air is my main business.” You primarily distribute drama from Channel 3, which is one of the top free-TV broadcast channels in Thailand. How come you chose Channel 3 rather than say Channel 7 or Channel 8, which are the other top three TV channels? “They are all good. Channel 3 or BEC is more International. The actors have millions of social media followers... a huge fanbase around the region. Content has to be universal, not just for Thai audiences. Channel 3 has all the criterias to travel. Their stories never let me down...”
Africa; those are the two regions that we are going to penetrate progressively.
What kinds of content and influences are you seeing among Thai audiences these days? “Local taste, always local taste. And social me-
Has the rise of other streaming platforms made a difference to your
dia influence... You really need to engage with your audience. Your
licensing and syndication business in Thailand or around the world?
fans will be fans of your product. That’s very important.”
“I’m so excited to see the growth of OTT business around the world, not just in Asia. But in Asia itself, I can see OTT fluorishing but it’s not
You recently appeared on Shark Tank Thailand and bought a number
substantial yet in terms of profit. I think a lot of the platforms are still
of companies, which you will feature in some of your local productions
losing money.
for JKN. So essentially, you’re building an ecosystem... “I’m building
Free-to-air is the ultimate solution at the moment. Basically OTT will
the ecosystem, correct... For example, one of the companies I bought
do well when we promote on free-to-air. So you need to have free-to-
is a local tour company that we will work with for our new original
air... we have to focus on the main business first and then OTT. We have
production, Love Travels, which is a travelogue featuring a couple –
a few OTT clients that buy Thai drama, but it’s not a substantial business
probably celebrities – exploring different places.”
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contentasia december 2020