While television continues to dominate with Thais watching an average of 7.2 hours daily, the Thai media landscape is undergoing a dramatic and data-driven transformation where digital advertising spending has just overtaken TV for the first time.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, Thailand's television industry generated total revenues of 85.6 billion THB, with free-to-air TV accounting for 62% of the market share
- Thailand's Channel 7 led free-to-air TV viewership with a 28.4% audience share in prime time slots during Q4 2023
- Pay-TV subscribers in Thailand numbered 12.3 million in 2023, up 4.2% from 2022, driven by sports content demand
- Thailand's newspaper circulation peaked at 12.5 million copies daily in 2010 but fell to 4.2 million by 2023
- Daily newspaper ad revenue in Thailand was 8.7 billion THB in 2023, down 12% YoY
- Bangkok Post English daily circulation reached 65,000 copies in 2023
- Thailand's internet penetration rate reached 89.3% of population in 2023, with 62.5 million users
- Social media users in Thailand totaled 49.2 million in early 2023, 67.5% of population
- LINE app had 50.4 million monthly active users in Thailand Jan 2023
- Thailand's box office revenue reached 4.2 billion THB in 2023, up 120% post-COVID
- Thai film production numbered 145 features in 2023
- Major cinema chains like Major Cineplex had 28% market share with 120 screens added in 2023
- Thailand's total advertising expenditure reached 89.4 billion THB in 2023
- TV advertising accounted for 47% of total ad spend in Thailand 2023 at 42 billion THB
- Digital ads grew 22% to 45.6 billion THB, overtaking TV in Thailand 2023
Thailand's media industry is dominated by television, but digital advertising has now overtaken it.
Advertising and Market Revenue
- Thailand's total advertising expenditure reached 89.4 billion THB in 2023
- TV advertising accounted for 47% of total ad spend in Thailand 2023 at 42 billion THB
- Digital ads grew 22% to 45.6 billion THB, overtaking TV in Thailand 2023
- Out-of-home (OOH) ad revenue in Thailand was 6.8 billion THB in 2023
- Print advertising spend declined 18% to 9.2 billion THB in Thailand 2023
- Programmatic digital ad buying share reached 35% of online ads in Thailand 2023
- FMCG sector ad spend topped 15 billion THB in Thailand media 2023
- Influencer marketing expenditure in Thailand hit 4.5 billion THB in 2023
- Cinema ad spend grew 25% to 900 million THB post-recovery in 2023 Thailand
- E-commerce platforms ad allocation was 12 billion THB in Thailand 2023
- Social media ads revenue: Facebook 18 billion THB, Google 20 billion THB in Thailand 2023
- Radio advertising steady at 3.1 billion THB in Thailand 2023
- Healthcare/pharma ad spend 8.2 billion THB across media in Thailand 2023
- Native advertising growth 30% to 2.8 billion THB digital in Thailand 2023
- Auto sector media ad budget 7.5 billion THB in Thailand 2023
- Video ad formats share 55% of digital ad spend in Thailand 2023
- Tourism ad campaigns expenditure totaled 5.6 billion THB media in Thailand 2023
- Retail ad spend rose 14% to 10.1 billion THB in Thailand 2023
- CTV/connected TV ad revenue emerged at 1.2 billion THB in Thailand 2023
- Finance/insurance ads 6.4 billion THB total media spend Thailand 2023
Advertising and Market Revenue Interpretation
While television is still clinging to its throne with 42 billion baht, digital has officially staged a coup with 45.6 billion, proving that in Thailand's ad world, the remote control has decisively shifted to the smartphone.
Digital and Online Media
- Thailand's internet penetration rate reached 89.3% of population in 2023, with 62.5 million users
- Social media users in Thailand totaled 49.2 million in early 2023, 67.5% of population
- LINE app had 50.4 million monthly active users in Thailand Jan 2023
- Facebook monthly users in Thailand: 48.3 million in 2023
- Online video consumption averaged 2.1 hours daily per Thai internet user in 2023
- YouTube penetration among Thai internet users was 92% in 2023 survey
- TikTok monthly active users reached 40.1 million in Thailand Q4 2023
- Digital news consumption via apps was 55% among urban Thais in 2023
- Thailand's OTT video market revenue hit 15.2 billion THB in 2023
- Mobile internet traffic in Thailand grew 28% YoY to 2.5 exabytes in 2023
- Instagram users in Thailand: 17.8 million monthly actives in 2023
- Online advertising spend in Thailand reached 42.6 billion THB in 2023, 48% of total ad market
- Podcast listeners in Thailand numbered 12.4 million monthly in 2023
- Streaming audio services like Spotify had 15 million users in Thailand 2023
- E-sports viewership online averaged 1.2 million concurrent viewers for major Thai events in 2023
- Digital media revenue growth in Thailand was 16.4% to 78 billion THB in 2023
- WhatsApp usage in Thailand reached 18.5 million monthly users in 2023
- Online news site unique visitors monthly averaged 25 million for top 10 in Thailand 2023
- Short-form video content consumption took 45 minutes daily average in Thailand 2023
- Thailand's 5G subscribers hit 8.7 million by end 2023, boosting video streaming
- Twitter (X) monthly users in Thailand: 10.2 million in 2023
- Online gaming market revenue in Thailand was 32.4 billion THB in 2023
- VOD platforms like Netflix had 4.5 million paid subs in Thailand 2023
- Social commerce via platforms generated 150 billion THB sales in Thailand 2023
- Mobile news app downloads in Thailand exceeded 5 million in 2023
Digital and Online Media Interpretation
Thailand’s digital bloodstream now flows faster than Bangkok traffic, with nearly every citizen online not just to chat on LINE or watch endless videos, but to shop, play, listen, and define their entire reality through a screen—proving the kingdom’s true capital has decisively shifted from the Grand Palace to the smartphone palace.
Film and Cinema
- Thailand's box office revenue reached 4.2 billion THB in 2023, up 120% post-COVID
- Thai film production numbered 145 features in 2023
- Major cinema chains like Major Cineplex had 28% market share with 120 screens added in 2023
- Hollywood films captured 65% of Thailand box office gross in 2023
- Local Thai films attendance was 18.5 million tickets sold in 2023
- Average ticket price in Thai cinemas rose to 165 THB in 2023
- SF Cinema occupancy rate averaged 42% in 2023, peaking at 65% weekends
- Thai horror films generated 1.1 billion THB at domestic box office in 2023
- International film festivals in Thailand like Bangkok IFF screened 250 films in 2023
- Cinema advertising revenue in Thailand hit 850 million THB in 2023
- 4DX and premium format screens grew to 150 nationwide in Thailand 2023
- Thai romantic comedies topped local box office with 800 million THB earnings in 2023
- Film export revenues for Thai movies reached 450 million THB in 2023
- Number of cinema screens in Thailand totaled 1,250 by end 2023
- Action Thai films like those starring Tony Jaa earned 650 million THB domestically 2023
- Streaming rights deals for Thai films averaged 50 million THB per title in 2023
- Youth audience (15-24) comprised 48% of cinema goers in Thailand 2023
- IMAX screens in Thailand increased to 22 locations in 2023
- Documentary films box office share was 2.5% in Thailand 2023
- Total cinema admissions in Thailand: 42.3 million in 2023
- Thai film awards (Suphannahong) saw 120 entries in 2023
- VFX spending in Thai film industry rose to 1.2 billion THB in 2023
- Regional cinema circuits in Chiang Mai and Phuket grew 15% screens in 2023
- Animation films from Thailand earned 300 million THB box office 2023
- Post-production facilities in Thailand handled 80 international projects in 2023
Film and Cinema Interpretation
Thailand's film industry is staging a spectacular comeback, cleverly balancing a lucrative, screen-gobbling romance with Hollywood while nurturing a fiercely loyal local audience that flocks to its own horror, romance, and action stories, all while upgrading its theaters and technical prowess to keep everyone, especially the youth, coming back for more.
Print Media
- Thailand's newspaper circulation peaked at 12.5 million copies daily in 2010 but fell to 4.2 million by 2023
- Daily newspaper ad revenue in Thailand was 8.7 billion THB in 2023, down 12% YoY
- Bangkok Post English daily circulation reached 65,000 copies in 2023
- Thai Rath, top Thai language newspaper, sold 1.8 million copies daily average in 2023
- Magazine market in Thailand generated 2.1 billion THB revenue in 2023, lifestyle segment 45%
- Regional newspaper penetration in Isaan region was 28% of households in 2023 survey
- Color printing costs for Thai newspapers rose 22% to 1.5 billion THB total in 2023 due to paper prices
- Weekend editions of major Thai dailies saw 35% higher circulation uplift in 2023
- Newsprint consumption in Thailand dropped to 250,000 tons annually in 2023
- Kom Chad Luek tabloid circulation averaged 850,000 daily in 2023
- Print media employment in Thailand was 25,000 full-time journalists in 2023, down 18% from 2018
- Classified ads in Thai newspapers generated 1.2 billion THB in 2023
- Women's magazines like Praew sold 120,000 copies monthly in 2023
- Digital replica editions of Thai newspapers reached 15% of total circulation in 2023
- Matichon weekly newspaper circulation was 450,000 in 2023
- Print media recycling rate in Thailand achieved 72% of total paper used in 2023
- Auto magazines segment revenue fell 30% to 180 million THB in Thailand 2023
- Daily newspaper readership among Thais aged 18-34 dropped to 22% in 2023
- Business dailies like Krungthep Turakij circulated 280,000 daily in 2023
- Print production costs inflation hit 28% for Thai publishers in 2023
- Free giveaway newspapers like Daily News reached 500,000 distribution in Bangkok 2023
- Sports newspapers circulation totaled 1.1 million daily in 2023 Thailand
- Print media ad pages in Thai dailies declined 15% to 2.8 million pages in 2023
- Lifestyle magazines digital shift led to 40% print revenue drop in 2023
- National daily penetration rate was 35% in urban Thailand 2023
- Thai print media export of content generated 150 million THB in 2023
- Youth-oriented comic magazines sold 2.5 million copies monthly aggregate in 2023
- Newspaper vending machine usage fell 45% to 12,000 units in Thailand 2023
Print Media Interpretation
Thailand's print industry is enduring a slow-motion avalanche, where a few hardy peaks like Thai Rath and weekend editions still emerge while the ground beneath—costs, young readers, and ad pages—steadily crumbles into a digital abyss.
Television and Broadcasting
- In 2023, Thailand's television industry generated total revenues of 85.6 billion THB, with free-to-air TV accounting for 62% of the market share
- Thailand's Channel 7 led free-to-air TV viewership with a 28.4% audience share in prime time slots during Q4 2023
- Pay-TV subscribers in Thailand numbered 12.3 million in 2023, up 4.2% from 2022, driven by sports content demand
- Terrestrial TV advertising spend in Thailand was 42.1 billion THB in 2022, representing 55% of total TV ad market
- During 2023, average daily TV viewership in Thailand reached 7.2 hours per person aged 4+, with news programs capturing 22% share
- Thailand's digital terrestrial TV transition reached 98.5% coverage nationwide by end of 2023
- Prime time drama series on Thai TV averaged 15-18% ratings in 2023, led by Channel 3's lakorn productions
- Satellite TV penetration in urban Thailand stood at 45% of households in 2023
- TV news consumption via traditional broadcast in Thailand was 68% among adults over 50 in 2023 survey
- Thailand's public broadcaster NBT achieved 8.2% national viewership share in 2023
- Cable TV households in Thailand totaled 2.8 million in 2023, with 12% YoY decline due to streaming shift
- Thai TV export revenues from dramas reached 1.2 billion THB in 2023, mainly to China and Japan
- Evening news bulletins on major Thai channels averaged 2.5 million viewers per episode in 2023
- Thailand's TV market ad rates for 30-second prime time spots rose 7.1% to 150,000 THB in 2023
- Sports broadcasting rights for Premier League in Thailand cost broadcasters 800 million THB annually in 2023
- Rural TV penetration in Thailand was 97.2% of households in 2023
- Thai children's programming viewership share was 11% during daytime slots in 2023
- TrueVisions, Thailand's largest pay-TV operator, had 5.1 million subscribers in 2023
- TV variety shows captured 18.3% of prime time ratings in urban Thailand Q3 2023
- Thailand's analog TV switch-off completed 100% by mid-2023, boosting digital signal quality
- Morning talk shows on Thai TV averaged 1.8 million viewers daily in 2023
- Foreign content dubbing costs for Thai TV rose 15% to 500 million THB in 2023
- National TV audience measurement panel in Thailand covered 5,200 households in 2023
- Thai TV soap operas (lakorn) generated 25 billion THB in production value in 2023
- Weekend family movies on Thai TV drew 12.5% ratings average in 2023
- Thailand's TV regulatory fines for violations totaled 120 million THB in 2023
- Live event broadcasting like Songkran festivals reached 10 million viewers on Thai TV in 2023
- Thai TV market share by channel: Channel 7 29%, Channel 3 24%, Channel 5 18% in 2023
- Elderly audience (65+) TV viewing time averaged 8.1 hours daily in Thailand 2023
- Interactive TV services adoption in Thailand hit 3.2% of pay-TV subs in 2023
Television and Broadcasting Interpretation
Though seemingly glued to their screens for over seven hours a day, Thais have crafted a deceptively robust television ecosystem, where free-to-air lakorns reign supreme, pay-TV thrives on sports, and even a 98.5% digital transition hasn't stopped the rural 97.2% from tuning in, proving that in a streaming world, traditional TV remains the nation's stubborn and lucrative storyteller.
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