THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT, THE FUTURE IS PRINT

Print media appears to be thriving in Thailand if the most recent statements of publicly listed companies in the sector are anything to go by.
Both Nation Multimedia (THB 13.7 million) and Post Publishing (THB 10.6 million) reported first quarter profits to The Stock Exchange of Thailand within the past couple of weeks, in stark contrast to the respective THB 58.8 million and THB 18.8 million losses reported for the same period last year. Both companies noted double-digit percentage rises in advertising income - a clear sign that print is gaining popularity at least with all-important advertisers.
Elsewhere Siam Sport Syndicate, a publisher of Thai language sports newspapers and a host of local language licensed magazines, recorded a THB 24.2 million profit against a THB 8.5 million in 2009. Another Thai language publisher, Matichon, also reported a THB 32.08 million profit against a THB 6.7 million profit for the same period last year. Both companies also noted increased advertising revenues during the first three months of the year.
New magazines have continued to appear on the shelves, although not at the rates seen in the latter half of last year. From my own experiences, and from talking to people within the industry, there does appear to be renewed optimism - although I've been saying for a long time that print will continue to flouish in Thailand for a long time yet.