Content Quality Evaluation of Thailand’s Digital TV Series through a Trial of the NBTC's Draft Series Quality Evaluation Criteria

Abstract

This article reviews and evaluates the content quality of series in “suitable for all ages” and “suitable for viewers aged 13 and over/guidance recommended for younger viewers” categories that were broadcast by Thai digital television stations. Conducted as a qualitative study, the evaluation was based on the Draft Series Quality Evaluation Criteria developed by a working panel of the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). The study covered four new series that were aired between April and September 2024: Songkram Somros, Lom Len Fai, Jai Son Rak (The Secret of Us) and Nangfah Kammakorn. Findings indicate that existing suitability rating standards are ambiguous, leading to different interpretations by program producers and the NBTC. As a result, the ratings may not reflect the actual content quality. Notably, series rated “suitable for all ages” sometimes received lower quality scores than those rated “suitable for viewers aged 13 and over/guidance recommended for younger viewers.” For instance, Songkram Somros (rated “suitable for all ages”) scored 71.37% while Jai Son Rak (rated as “suitable for viewers aged 13 and over / guidance recommended for younger viewers”) scored 78.12%. When evaluated based on the threshold for TV series, Songkram Somros scored 65.20% and was considered “good”. Nangfah Kammakorn scored 56.50% and was graded “fair”. Lom Len Fai and Jai Son Rak (The Secret of Us), both categorized as “suitable for viewers aged 13 and over/guidance recommended for younger viewers” failed to meet the threshold as they scored just  42.2% and 48.75% respectively.