Public Television
Thai public television is available almost everywhere in Bangkok. The main Thai channels all have the same rotation of game shows, soap operas and news, interrupted frequently by commercials. Thai television is not very interesting, to say the least, for expats used to high quality programs and news in the west. In fact, the stupidity of Thai television is a common complaint among expats in Bangkok; keep your kids away!
Cable Television
This is why most expats sign up for cable TV with the main provider, True Visions. True Visions is sometimes also referred to as UBC as that was the name of the previous provider before True bought it.
True Visions website is http://www.truevisionstv.com.
Not all apartments are cable TV ready. Some older buildings require you to get a satellite dish, though newer and more upscale condo’s will almost always have lines installed for easy installation of the True Visions decoder.
True has many shops where you can order cable TV and pay your bills. It’s also easy to just call True. Usually there is an agent present in a condominium complex. This way it’s easy to sign up. You will need a copy of your passport and 2000 Baht deposit for the decoder box. As a subscriber you also receive the monthly TV-guide in your mail.
True Vision offers different packages for different audiences. All packages include movie channels, series, news, sports and knowledge channels. The more you pay the more channels you get. There are also some overpriced packages aimed at Japanese and British who want to get the full panel of channels from back home.
The prices are as follows:
- Platinum – 2000 Baht
- Gold – 1562.97 Baht
- Knowledge – 299 Baht
Platinum has every channel you could ever want, all major news networks, all major sports, all movie channels, tons of ‘educational’ channels and more.
Gold has the same channels as Platinum minus some movie channels and entertainment channels.
The Silver package has significantly fewer channels than the Gold and Platinum package and the similar pricing between Gold and Platinum is of course a smart promotion to make you go for the Platinum package.
You can upgrade or downgrade at any time. Installation is free the moment you order a Gold or Platinum package and only takes a few hours if your apartment or condo is ready.
Satellite Television
If for some reason you can’t get True Cable TV at your condo or house, which is rare these days, then another alternative is setting up a small satellite, which the cable company will install on your roof, terrace or wherever possible. The cable company, in most cases True television, will send someone out to install it – usually for free – but you will have to pay a deposit for the dish. If you’re going with True, then satellite offers the same packages as cable.
