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Channel 7's logo on display at a digital fair. BBTV's Channel 7 and Channel 5 have set up their own censorship association, disgruntling the Advertising Association of Thailand. (Photo by Jiraporn Kuhakan)

The Advertising Association of Thailand (AAT) has asked BBTV's Channel 7 and Channel 5 to explain why they have established their own censorship association, given the waste of time and money that such a group would represent.

Having two standards of censorship presents additional expense and procedural hurdles for advertising agencies and brands and will also affect the ad industry as a whole, said AAT president On-Usa Lamliengpol.

She said the creation of a new censorship association led by Channel 7, Channel 5 and some digital TV operators, and without any obvious explanation, would result in a double standard for the ad industry.

Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5 is owned and operated by the army. Channel 7 officially is owned by Bangkok Broadcasting Television. It was originally acquired by the army in 1967.

"We urge these channels to explain this move clearly and as soon as possible," Ms On-Usa said, adding that otherwise it will lead to complications for the ad industry.

The AAT has been operating for more than 23 years. The association is a non-profit coordinator between ad agencies and digital TV operators and allows the industry to run smoothly, Ms On-Usa said.

The Radio and Television Broadcasting Professional Federation and the Association of Digital Television Broadcasting also voiced displeasure with the establishment of the second standard. The entities pushing for the second standard must stop or at least provide clarification, they said.

Ms On-Usa said the censorship procedure will run as usual on the AAT's side, but brands and agencies must know that they will run into trouble if their TV spots are assessed by both associations.

"Ad agencies need to help the AAT clarify the issue for their own sake," she said.

AAT vice-president Niwat Wongprompreeda said that while he does not know Channel 7's and Channel 5's intentions, he knows that having another censorship commission will complicate matters.

Agencies and brands will struggle with the rising costs of TV ad production, Mr Niwat said, since they still need to broadcast on Channel 7 -- the most influential channel in the country. He said Channel 7 receives 30-40% of total TV ad expenditure.

The censorship process normally has no cost. It takes one day to know if a TV spot is rejected or not; if it is, it must be modified and presented again to the association for approval.

Palakorn Somsuwan, assistant managing director for programming and advertising at Bangkok Broadcasting & TV Co, the operator of Channel 7, said the new censorship association will uplift censorship standards and benefit TV operators by creating stronger networks.

On the other hand, Col Natee Sukonrat, vice-chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), said media regulations are sensitive and whether the self-censorship measure established by the private sector will help the NBTC to regulate the media industry will need to be looked into in close detail.

"The NBTC supports the latest establishment of a censorship association, as it will help create stronger measures for broadcasting suitable ads in the future," Col Natee said.

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Advertisers protest as military TV sets separate censorship - Bangkok Post