POPULAR TV host Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda has called it quits following increased pressure from civil society organisations and major advertisers who started to suspend sponsorship of his programmes in the wake of his guilty verdict in a bribery scandal. In a social media post, Sorrayuth said he had decided to suspend his TV role effective yesterday evening to avoid affecting Channel 3. Sorrayuth’s programmes account for about 4 per cent of total revenues of BEC World Plc, operator of Channel 3.

BEC World posted a net profit of Bt2.98 billion on revenue of Bt16.02 billion in 2015 compared to Bt4.41 billion net profit on revenue of Bt16.38 billion in 2014.

BEC World shares dropped 1.61 per cent to Bt30.50 yesterday following the news of Sorrayuth’s exit.

On Monday, Sorrayuth was sentenced to a jail term of 13 years and four months in a bribery case for causing losses of Bt138 million to state-owned Mass Commun-ications Organisation of Thailand (MCOT)’s TV Channel 9.

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While mass media and civic society organisations had earlier urged the popular TV host to suspend his role, Sorrayuth resisted until yesterday.

Yesterday, Total Access Communication (DTAC), the country’s second-largest mobile-phone operator, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) became the latest major advertisers of Sorrayuth’s programmes to announce their suspension of sponsorship and advertising spending.

The Government Saving Bank stopped buying advertising time during Sorrayuth’s news programmes from November 2012, after MCOT took the case to court, a source said yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives has never sponsored his programmes and has no plan for such spending in the future, according to a bank source.

Sorrayuth’s decision to stop appearing on TV while appealing the bribery case also came hot on the heels of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s call for senior government officials to exercise their judgement whether to appear on the convicted host’s programmes.

Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya said ethical considerations were necessary as the government has been pursuing an anti-corruption campaign.

A senior executive of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said the state agency has reviewed its media spending plan which includes spending on Sorrayuth’s TV programmes after the court verdict and the premier’s remarks. However, the TAT will continue to have good relations with Channel 3, the executive said.

“Advertising on ‘Rueng Lao Chao Nee’ [one of Sorrayuth’s programmes] is very expensive so we usually spend money only on important events, but there will be no ad on Sorrayuth’ programmes this year,” said the TAT source.

Meanwhile, DTAC yesterday decided to suspend its advertisements on Sorrayuth’s news programmes effective immediately. The company said it adhered to good corporate governance while respecting a person’s right to prove his or her case through the justice system.

Wilai Keangpradoo, senior vice president of Advanced Info Service, the country’s largest mobile-phone operator, said the company is considering appropriate action. Although Sorrayuth decided to quit hosting the TV programmes, Channel 3 said yesterday it would continue two morning news shows, but that the “Jok Khao Den” news talk show would be suspended.

Borisut Puranasamriddhi, public relations director of BEC World, said Sorrayuth would stop hosting three shows – “Rueng Lao Chao Nee”, “Rueng Loa Sao Artid” and “Jok Khao Den”.

Only “Jok Khao Den”, aired from 5.10pm to 5.30pm during the evening news programme, has been pulled out from the programme. The evening news programme will be extended accordingly from 3.55pm to 5.30pm.

He said Channel 3 had no plan to replace Sorrayuth with a new TV presenter. BEC vice executive president Surin Krittayaphongphun said he respected Sorrayuth’s decision.