Thailand has been voted as the most likely country in Asia to enjoy a boom period in its content industry on the scale of the so-called Korean Wave.
At the Asia Video Summit 2023, held in Hong Kong by Asia Video Industry Association last week, 180 participants from 22 countries were asked to vote in e-polls.
When asked, "In the coming years, which market is most likely to emulate the regional success of the Korean content industry?", 40% of respondents chose Thailand while 16% chose Mainland China and 13% chose Indonesia.
The participants come from the TV, streaming, marketing, telecommunications and technology industries, as well as policymakers and content creators.
Pirongrong Ramasota, commissioner at the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), who spoke in a session entitled Thailand's Time, said Thai audio-visual content has won various prominent international awards and has been welcomed in various countries.
However, Thailand still lacks strategic support, partly due to inter-agency problems. The NBTC was ready to host talks among agencies to find a shared direction to promote Thai content production and distribution, she said.
Meanwhile, as the lack of level playing field between local and international digital platforms is hindering Thailand's prospects, the NBTC aims to find ways to create a suitable ecosystem for free and fair competition.
Light-touch regulation and the promotion of self-regulation or joint community standards are possible measures, Ms Pirongrong said.
