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It is not the private TV station the government promised
Cable TV subscribers will soon be able to watch video on demand (VOD) or a local channel called Samuh.
Coinciding with the Silver Jubilee of the launch of Internet and television in Bhutan, Samuh Mediatech Private Limited in partnership with NetCom Bhutan Limited will launch the country’s first digital platform – Video on Demand (VOD) or on-demand local channel Samuh – on cable television on June 2.
VOD is a media distribution system that allows users to watch videos, TV shows and movies without the need for traditional video playback devices and fixed broadcast schedules. Through this VOD channel, Bhutan will now have 60 TV channels, including 56 foreign channels.
Samuh is a digital service provider both globally and in Bhutan, and will provide local content such as videos, TV series, TV shows and movies through Netcom Bhutan. “We want to use both digital and traditional media to serve TV viewers and digital users,” said Nyema Zam, founder and CEO of Samuh. “Samuh will also provide space for content creators such as young people, especially in music programming.”
However, Jigme Dorji, CEO of NetCom Bhutan Limited, said Samuh cannot broadcast live like television programmes of the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS). “Samuh is only allowed to provide pre-recorded content,” he said. NetCom Bhutan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Samuh in March this year to provide value-added services to customers and applied for and sought approval from the Bhutan Information Communication and Media Authority (BICMA), the country’s converged regulator for ICT and media.
“We partnered with Samuh because the company has enough local content to meet the needs of cable TV users,” said Jigme Dorje.
Nyema Zam said Samuh’s digital TV signal is connected through a fibre optic cable from its premises in Zilukha, Thimphu and shared with the NetCom control room in Serbithang IT Park, which then distributes it to local cable operators (LCOs) across the country.
The LCO will then distribute it to cable TV subscribers for a monthly fee of Ngultrum 75 in addition to the existing monthly entertainment fee of Ngultrum 300.
According to NetCom and Samuh officials, TV users will have to install a separate cable set-top box to use the Samuh service. Nyema Zam said Bhutanese viewers will be able to experience the Samuh service for free during the VOD launch period. “After that, users will have to contact their LCO to get the service,” she said.
Officials at BICMA confirmed that NetCom Bhutan has entered into an agreement with Samuh to provide Samuh content as a VOD service through the cable TV network, but the agreement has not yet been implemented. Under the terms and conditions of the multi-service operator (MSO) licence, an MSO can provide VOD services through its network. “However, the arrangement is purely for VOD services and not as a private TV channel,” said an official.
The ruling government promised during the election campaign to empower private television channels to promote diversity and pluralism in broadcasting news and entertainment programming.
Why choose Samuh as your VOD provider?
Samuh, the country’s first Over-The-Top (OTT) platform, has become a popular source of entertainment for many Bhutanese residents both inside and outside the country since the pandemic began, as people have easier access to movies and locally produced TV series. Samuh began offering its services in July 2021.
According to Nima Zam, while touring and collecting feedback from residents of 20 dzongkhags, Samuh officials claimed that people liked their services but could not afford the internet charges. “People suggested whether Samuh could provide services through cable TV without having to pay for the internet,” she said.
Samuh then began exploring the feasibility of offering such a service to reach a national audience and spent two and a half years working with local filmmakers and content creators to create content.“We started discussions with NetCom Bhutan to launch VOD,” says Samuh CEO.
For transparency
Some OTT platforms welcomed BICMA’s decision, which allows Samuh to explore new areas and create avenues to compete in the digital market era. “We have to move forward and not just rely on BBS for local content,” said an OTT platform representative.
However, he questioned the process of allowing Samuh to participate without an open tender. “For the sake of transparency, all stakeholders should be involved and given equal opportunities,” he said.
NetCom CEO Jigme Dorji said NetCom is ready to connect with other OTT platforms as long as it has enough local content and gets approval from regulators.
NetCom Bhutan Limited is one of the MSOs and IT service providers that provides digital cable TV signals to LCOs in Bhutan. The MSO procures TV channels from domestic and foreign broadcasters and the TV channel signals are digitally processed at its headend and distributed to LCOs via Bhutan Telecom Limited’s P2P bandwidth service (fiber routing).
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Lingjin Wangchuk
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