The story
International Broadcasting Corporation (1989–1998)
In 1983, American communications company Clearview International announced a proposal to launch a nationwide satellite television project in Thailand, having introduced a similar television service in Tonga earlier that year. Clearview partnered with Thaksin Sinawatra, the then-chairman of Shinawatra Computers, to establish the International Broadcasting Coropration (IBC) on April 17, 1989. The IBC was Thailand's first national television provider.
The Mass Communication Organization of Thailand, Thailand's state-owned public broadcaster, granted a cable TV license to IBC in 1989, along with IBC's main rival, Thai Cablevision (UTV). That year, IBC began broadcasting its programs via super high frequency microwaves using a multichannel multipoint distribution service. Initially, the IBC's broadcasts were limited to Bangkok and other major cities in Thailand.
In 1995, after receiving approval for a coverage area expansion, the IBC began its first direct-to-home television service. In 1997, the South African–Dutch company MIH Limited purchased a 16% stake in the IBC. The IBC obtained most of its programming content from international channels, including HBO, CNN and ESPN.
UTV Cable Network (1993–1998)
UTV Cable Network was founded on October 2, 1992, to provide cable television services in Thailand under the aegis of TelecomAsia. In September 1995, UTV began providing television service in the Bangkok metropolitan area on a hybrid fibre-optic network. It also provided pay-per-view services. By 1997, UTV's cable network reached about 800,000 homes. In 1997, UTV sold its cable infrastructure to its sister company, Asia Multimedia Company Limited. This allowed UTV to focus on content and service delivery to its subscribers.
Merger with United Broadcasting Corporation (1998–2006)
Following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, IBC merged with UTV in February 1998 in order to decrease operational costs and reduce staff overhead. The result of the merger was the United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), which officially began operations on July 1, 1998. The UBC faced criticism due to its status as a monopoly in the cable TV industry, and later split into two companies: UBC PCL. which provided satellite television services, and UBC Cable Co., Ltd. which provided cable television services.
In 1998, the Shin Corporation (formerly Shinawatra Computer Co., Ltd.) sold its entire stake in UBC to TelecomAsia.
UBC-True (2006–2007)
In November 2005, True Corporation bought a 30.59% stake in UBC from MIH Holdings. The company launched an offer for 221 million outstanding shares at a sale price of 26.5 baht per share, and subsequently delisted UBC from the Thai stock exchange. In April 2006, UBC rebranded to "UBC-True".
On April 2, 2006, UBC-True announced the launch of a series of documentary channels (Explore 1, Explore 2, and Explore 3). In the following months, UBC-True expanded its entertainment offerings with two promotional channels, G-Square and UBC Preview, followed by two music channels, Majung TV and True Music.
Read the full text
TrueVisions (2007–present)
On January 24, 2007, UBC-True was re-branded as "TrueVisions UBC". The following day, Truevisions UBC announced its successful purchase of exclusive broadcasting rights to the Premier League in Thailand.
On July 12, 2012, as part of its efforts to combat copyright infringement, TrueVisions switched its content encryption system to VideoGuard and upgraded its video encryption from MPEG-2 to the newer MPEG-4 standard. The switch was implemented in the company's new line of high-definition set-top boxes, launched in October 2011.
In 2012, TrueVisions lost its bid for the Premier League broadcast rights to Cable Thai. The company reacquired the league's broadcast rights in 2016, signing a sub-licensing agreement with Qatar-based sports network beIN Sports. TrueVisions has since acquired the Premier League's broadcasting rights in Thailand from 2019 through 2022.
From Wikipedia’s article on TrueVisions, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4