Thai PBS recently welcomed a delegation from the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS), the national broadcaster of the Kingdom of Bhutan, for a high-level visit to deepen bilateral ties and explore new areas of cooperation as both public broadcasters navigate the challenges of the digital age.
The BBS delegation was led by Mr. Dorji Tashi, CEO of BBS, and was received by Thai PBS executive members and senior leadership members, including Director General Vanchai Tantivitayapitak; Thepchai Yong, Advisor to Thai PBS World; Adisak Limparungpatanakij, Deputy Director General for Technology; Piset Jiyasak, Deputy Director General for Administration and Somchai Bhudachandra, Deputy Director General for Content.
Mr. Dorji Tashi opened the meeting by conveying warm greetings from Their Majesties the King and Queen of Bhutan to the Thai PBS leadership and team. He spoke warmly of the close bond between the two countries - noting that Thailand has become something of a "second home" for Bhutanese who come to visit, study and to do business in growing numbers each year.
Director General Vanchai formally welcomed the delegation and expressed his enthusiasm for the visit, highlighting the potential for future collaboration in co-production and other areas of mutual interest.
Sharing Lessons in Digital Transformation
The discussions that followed were wide-ranging and substantive. Kanokporn Prasitphon, Director of the Thai PBS Digital Media Department, shared Thai PBS's journey of digital transformation, how the organisation has restructured its teams and workflows around a ‘digital-first’ approach, while maintaining traditional television broadcasting, to ensure that audiences in remote areas are never left without access to essential news and information. She also shared Thai PBS's approach to content synergy, adapting and distributing content quickly and in formats suited to each platform's distinct nature.
Paphaphorn Chalermvanich, Director of the Public Communications and Marketing Centre, spoke on the theme of ‘Thai PBS Content Communication: From Local Stories to Global Opportunities’, exploring how content rooted in local Thai contexts can be positioned to resonate with and reach international audiences.
BBS expressed a strong interest in Thai PBS's suite of six AI-driven innovations and its approach to balancing financial sustainability with its public service mission, amid intense competition from global social media platforms. The talent gap, a challenge with which BBS is also grappling, particularly in technical and content production skills, was also a key topic of conversation. Both organisations agreed to move forward with training and capacity-building exchanges. They discussed plans to update their existing Memoranda of Understanding (signed in 2010 and 2014) to reflect the realities of today's digital and AI landscape.
On the content side, the two broadcasters discussed opportunities for emergency news content exchange, as well as joint efforts to raise awareness of climate change, which is a particularly pressing issue for Bhutan as it faces the rapid melting of its glaciers and snowpack.
BBS also extended an invitation for Thai PBS to travel to Bhutan to cover and produce documentary content on the ‘Gelephu Mindful City’ project, which is an ambitious, environmentally-conscious city development initiative in southern Bhutan led by the King of Bhutan. The discussion was followed by the BBS delegation touring Thai PBS's operational facilities.
The visit marks a renewed and forward-looking chapter in the relationship between Thai PBS and BBS. It is one on which both sides are committed to building in the months and years ahead.
