7 Industry Leaders Map Thai Media's Challenges and Opportunities for 2025

Assistant Professor Dr. Sakulsri Srisaracam, Deputy Dean of Academic Affairs at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Communication Arts, believes that traditional media will survive the next five years but face declining audiences and ad revenues. The rise of Thailand's Creator Economy has become a pivotal force reshaping competition and expanding viewer choices.

"The challenge for media professionals in our country isn't just about breaking through algorithms anymore. It's about how to break through people's personalization preferences. Getting audiences back to media websites remains an uphill battle. Everyone tries, but it's very difficult. We must develop our own platforms to reduce social media dependency - otherwise, we risk losing our entire audience to these platforms."

This view aligns with Navamin Prasopnet, Chairman and Chairman of Executive Committee of Mono Next PCL, who sees digital TV in decline due to changing consumer behavior, diverse viewing options, technological roles, and economic conditions. In response, Mono Next has adjusted its business direction by focusing on the "MONOMAX" streaming platform.

Akirakorn I-kitisiri, Assistant Vice President, Business Development at Viu Thailand, predicts that the streaming and content market in Thailand and Southeast Asia will become more intense and exciting in 2025, with new service providers entering the market and content developing rapidly, responding to consumers' shift from TV to streaming.

For traditional media, content creators and influencers remain a significant challenge. Thanyarat Thamoi, a news anchor at PPTV and News Content Creator, shares that the channel has a policy encouraging journalists to maintain social media platforms for news distribution, as it enables direct communication with viewers, increases recognition, and provides additional revenue streams.

This shift in media dynamics has paralleled the evolution of influencer marketing itself. Siwat Vilassakdanont, Managing Director of AnyMind Group Thailand and Philippines, reveals that Thai influencer marketing is currently in its third evolution, characterized by nano and micro-influencers. The first evolution (pre-2010) mainly featured celebrities and athletes in advertising, while the second evolution (post-2010) saw the rise of social media influencers like food and beauty bloggers.

Beyond creators and influencers, algorithms are another crucial industry driver, especially TikTok. Khajorn Chiaranaipanich, Managing Director, Editor in Chief, and founder of RainMaker / Mango Zero, observes that TikTok has transformed from a "Chinese app" into a social commerce platform with sales comparable to leading e-commerce platforms. TikTok's success in creating the 'shopping basket' trend stems from being the only e-commerce platform with the highest content volume. While users typically open e-commerce apps solely to make purchases, they open TikTok to consume content - with product sales seamlessly integrated within.

As media platforms evolve across different formats, podcasts have emerged as another promising medium. Sopit Wangwiwat, Audio Media Manager at Thai PBS Digital Media Department, notes that technological advancement has enabled platform and application accessibility without time constraints, matching listeners' increasing online consumption habits. However, podcasts in Thailand still compete with video content from YouTube or Facebook, as people prefer to "watch and listen" rather than just "listen." Consequently, video podcasts are expected to see increased production to capture this target audience.

Overall, Thai media faces a defining moment in 2025, where success will go to those who best understand technology and changing consumer needs.

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