The payment is due to the group’s better performance in 2015, with a 123 per cent increase in profits that was driven by the higher revenues of its two digital TV channels.

NMG also revealed its plan to continuously penetrate the digital media market.

In 2014, NMG paid a dividend to shareholders of Bt0.028 per share or Bt92.86 million. The group paid Bt0.02 per share in 2013 or Bt66.05 million.

Duangkamol Chotana, NMG chief executive officer, said the latest dividend payment was in line with the group’s management direction, which aimed to give the best return to shareholders.

She said that in 2015 NMG posted a profit of Bt35.58 million, up Bt19.6 million or 123 per cent on 2014.

The group achieved Bt3.16 billion in revenue last year, up Bt221.3 million or 8 per cent on the previous year.

“The better performance of NMG last year was driven by higher advertising revenue, which was up 12 per cent on the previous year and mainly came from the group’s two digital TV channels, which are Nation TV on Channel 22 and NOW26 on Channel 26,” said Duangkamol.

“We also have seen a greater performance in our distribution service as well as education, which is Nation University. Both businesses showed significant growth at 20 per cent last year, which was driven by the group’s significant investment in the development of its educational curriculum and its focus on providing integrated educational solutions to its students.”

She added that the students also benefited from the group’s standing as the country’s leading media organisation.

Duangkamol said NMG’s sales revenue from its newspapers and pocket books dropped 14 per cent and 34 per cent respectively last year. She said this was due to consumers’ media consumption changing towards digital media.

She said NMG had leveraged that trend by developing a new digital media platform so all the group’s content could be better accessed and became part of consumers’ modern lifestyle, with social media playing a large role in that.

“2016 will be the year that NMG will focus on the penetrating all digital media channels, especially digital TV,” she said.

She said Nation TV had adjusted its news content to be more intensive, quick and relevant so it was considered a leading news station that was strong and reliable.

NOW26 was a digital station that created new experiences, with interesting documentary content such as on nature and travel.

“All the changes and developments will allow us to be closer with individual viewers, which is a key success factor of being effective media in today’s era. We need to bond with audiences by serving all their needs and requirements,” said Duangkamol.

NMG subsidiary Nation Broadcasting Corporation will pay dividend of Bt0.08 per share or Bt42.84 million while another subsidiary Nation International Edutainment will pay Bt0.022 per share or Bt3.74 million.