Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) will reportedly start regulating over-the-top (OTT) platforms and content as part of a coming revamp of broadcasting regulations.
According to a report from the Bangkok Post on Friday, the NBTC’s upcoming Broadcasting and Television Master Plan (2026–2030) will include a provision giving it the power to regulate OTT platforms after its board reached a consensus that it has the authority to do so.
The NBTC's move to govern OTT services is an effort to level the playing field between traditional digital TV operators, who are subject to stringent licensing conditions and compliance costs, and OTT platforms, which have so far operated under a lighter regulatory framework.
Existing legal interpretations and previous board resolutions dating back as far as 2017 have classified OTT content as a form of broadcasting, and thus under the NBTC’s purview. However, some board members have resisted the idea, citing the challenges involved in not only defining what counts as an OTT service, but also regulating OTT services that don’t originate in Thailand, the report said.
NBTC board members overcame those differences to agree that at the very least, the NBTC does have the authority to regulate OTT platforms. They also agreed there is a need to level the playing field for OTT platforms and digital TV broadcasters, who operate under a much stricter regulatory framework, the report added.
That said, the NBTC would need to coordinate with other relevant agencies like the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA), which enforces the Royal Decree on Digital Platform Services (2022) that requires platform operators to notify authorities of their business activities, the report also said.
Meanwhile, NBTC commissioner Pirongrong Ramasoota told the Post that OTT regulations would focus more on platforms rather than directly targeting content creators or influencers, adding that the details on criteria will be hammered out after the Broadcasting and Television Master Plan is finalised.
Further discussions on the draft plan are scheduled for next week.
