The Department of International Trade Promotion is moving forward with six activities in 2026 to propel Thai BL series into the global market and capture the loyalty of international fans, after recognizing their significant potential.
Mr. Pornwich Sila-on, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Trade Promotion, revealed that they held discussions with the Thai BL Content Promotion Association and content producers/distributors to consider plans for promoting the BL series market abroad in fiscal year 2026, including trends and market potential in target countries. The meeting agreed that Thai BL series continue to be popular and have strong growth potential in the global market.
The meeting emphasized using Friend of Thailand activities (Fan Meetings) as a tool to raise awareness and expand fan bases overseas. The private sector believes that government-led events help build credibility and confidence for Thai businesses and foreign partners. The activities should be integrated events combining performances, culture, tourism, food, and music to genuinely showcase Thai Soft Power and allow target groups to experience Thailand's unique identity in various dimensions. These events need not be limited to BL content but can reflect the diversity of the entertainment industry comprehensively.
Regarding the fiscal year 2026 activity plan, the department approved six projects to promote Thai BL series overseas. One project has already been carried out: sending a trade delegation for TV series to Japan for TIFFCOM 2025 from 29 Oct to 1 Nov 2025, successfully conducting trade negotiations on both male BL (Yaoi) and female BL (Yuri) content, generating trade value of 198 million baht projected over 1–5 years.
The remaining five projects planned for 2026 include organizing matchmaking trade meetings at Hong Kong Filmart 2026 from 17–20 Mar 2026; a project to promote public relations and business cooperation in Thai entertainment and content industries in Sydney, Australia; trade delegations for TV series to Brazil and Mexico, as well as to the UK or Spain; a trade delegation for TV series and music to Taiwan in Jun 2026; and promoting the Thai film service market with the Thai Film Festival in Vietnam in Jul 2026.
Additionally, the meeting approved a project to sell series-related merchandise through the thaitrade.com platform in a B2C (Business to Consumer) format, a new policy this year. This will allow Thai companies or entrepreneurs to sell series products directly to overseas fans, with systematic product categorization and linking sales promotions to series publicity periods or Fan Meeting events appropriately.
“Our market assessment shows that Thai BL series continue to be popular across Asia, especially in Japan, through streaming platforms popular globally and regionally such as YouTube, WeTV (China), Viu (Hong Kong), and niche LGBTQIA+ content platforms like Taiwan’s GagaOOLala, which plays a key role in expanding content access. The department will continue to target individual countries for Thai BL series markets, focusing on promising markets including Mexico, Brazil, Australia, the UK, and Spain to foster growth for Thailand’s content industry globally,” he said.
In fiscal year 2025, the department carried out six projects, supporting and developing 99 entrepreneurs and generating a total trade negotiation value of 5.567 billion baht. They also conducted training on “Opening the World of Fan Meetings and BL Content Merchandise” to increase business expansion opportunities and continuous revenue generation, with 150 entrepreneurs receiving knowledge development.
/ State Policy /