My contract is over so I don't have to pay the penalty. I think I need to check with them before the expiry of the termination notice to check on the status. Did they really suspend instead of terminate your account?

What type of evolution is she talking about when FOX SPORT 2 & 3 were not even upgraded to HD and they don't bother getting broadcast right for COPA.

New challenges with onset of technology
BY JAGDEV SINGH SIDHU

THE problems with paid and free-to-air TV stations are well documented.

Viewership is down and even the number of subscribers to pay TV stations have taken a hit. All of that means the outlook for the traditional TV media stations is challenging as over-the-top (OTT) players have stolen market share and viewers from traditional platforms.

One report highlights that trend where the 13 largest pay-TV providers in the US, representing about 95% of the market, lost about 385,000 net video subscribers in 2015.

According to the report which quotes Leichtman Research Group, the drop in subscribers of pay TV has been going down for the past 3 years when the industry lost about 150,000 subscribers in 2014 and 100,000 subscribers in 2013.

For satellite TV subscribers however, numbers are up in the US last year where Direc TV, a subsidiary of telco giant AT&T, saw an increase of 167,000 subscribers in 2015.

The challenges for the industry globally is not lost on Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd. The satellite TV provider lost 1,000 subscribers last year to 3.504 million and the challenge is now to not only arrest the decline but also get people to pay more for the services they provide. Astro has forecast average revenue per user to hit RM119 in 2020 from RM99 currently.

That net decline surprised analysts but they say the online shopping business, which Astro thinks will rake in RM350mil this year, and other services such as radio apart from its main TV subscriber business is what is giving some excitement to the stock.

While there is hope that Astro will deliver the financial numbers, the one knock on Astro since its listing in 2012 has been its share price. Listed at RM3 a share, Astro’s share price has for most of the time languished below that level.

Astro CEO Datuk Rohana Rozhan says the lacklustre share price performance was partly because the KLCI underperformed last year.

The KLCI was 3.54% down, while Astro’s shares were 0.5%.

“So in a way, we did better as 30% of our company’s shares is free float. We have really strong institutional, international and now local shareholders,” she says.

Analysts generally are favourable on the stock with many having a target price that is above Astro’s IPO price.

There is a suggestion that since most of the local buyers will be subscribers to Astro, there is an inherent prejudice towards the stock.

“The other problem is that there are macroeconomic headwinds which affects consumer sentiment,” says an analyst tracking the stock.

While the sell down of stocks on Bursa Malaysia saw a shift of investors of Astro stock, with local institutions holding more shares, Rohana says the one comfort investors have is the dividend that Astro pays. Astro was one of the top 10 companies that offered a high dividend payout ration, at 4.1%.

“I think we can safely say that we are a total return stock and even our dividends underpin a 4% yield.

“So, the share price would be a plus,” says Rohana.

Executing changes

What analysts are watching out for is how successfully Astro will make its transformation from a pure direct-to-home TV provider to an operator that delivers content through different channels.

With its satellite exclusivity coming to an end next year, Rohana says that is not an issue for the company.

“We’re less concerned about the satellite exclusivity, because none the challenges are coming through satellite anyway.

“Anywhere in the world, the real challenge is not coming from satellite, it is not DTH players who are disrupters,” she says.

Rohana points out that Astro is not the only company with a licence to deliver content as there are 11 other players who can do the same.

“All telcos are content providers also, everyone has that. But it goes back to content,” she says.

Astro’s investment in content development is huge as it plans to spend about half of its revenue to develop content by 2020. The current figure is 25%.

It spends nearly RM2bil in content every year, of which 25% is vernacular content that Astro owns the intellectual property rights. It sees content as a means to fight the disrupters to the industry.

One analyst who covers the stock says vernacular content is key in how Astro competes with other OTT players. “Vernacular content offers some shelter against competition that is predominantly English-based,” he says.

With competition coming from all corners, Rohana says the use of technology for reach is going to be important. Astro has an app for subscribers where content can be watched and also online delivery channels such as TRIBE that it will use to penetrate the Asean market.

“We are already in a global landscape because the global players are already here getting a share of the consumer wallet.

“The reality I think a lot of people sometimes forget, even we would like to forget, is that it’s no longer a protected environment. We are competing with global players with scale and pricing power.

“The reality is that all of us are competing in a global landscape so I think it’ll be business as usual but in a very disruptive market going forward,” she says.

The move to reach customers from beyond the set top box is what analysts say will be important.

“That is to prepare the company and to mitigate the impact of competition from external front,” says an analyst.

ASTRO & NJOI SUBSCRIBERS WILL BE GIVEN FREE ACCESS TO ALL KOREAN CHANNELS - KBS WORLD & HD (391, 392), ONE HD (393), OH!K (394) AND TVN HD (395) FROM JULY 1 TO AUGUST 31. MEANINGLESS FOR PEOPLE WHO ALREADY SUBSCRIBE TO BASIC HD + KOREAN PACK.

This post has been edited by izwanikhsan: Jun 18 2016, 03:02 PM


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I think ASTRO will introduce KOREAN PACK as prepaid package on NJOI platform. No free stuff lasts forever. The free preview is meant to attract NJOI customers to buy the Korean Pack later on. It's marketing strategy.

Still no FOX SPORT 2 & 3 HD? Maybe they save those channels for the next round of increase.

This post has been edited by izwanikhsan: Jun 25 2016, 03:07 PM

The addition of the eGG, Astro Arena HD, Astro Supersport 4 HD & BeIN Sports is a welcome move as the price increase is accompanied with channel addition but I hope Fox Sports 2 & 3 will have HD version just like Arena & Supersport 4.

This post has been edited by izwanikhsan: Jun 25 2016, 03:53 PM

Will see which company will apply for satellite TV license after February 2017 when Astro's exclusive license end. Meanwhile MYTV seems like a failed venture even before official rollout:

KUALA LUMPUR: Pengendali stesen televisyen tempatan meminta MYTV Broadcasting Sdn Bhd mengkaji semula cadangan caj tahunan siaran televisyen digital mereka yang disifatkan terlalu tinggi dan membebankan operasi penyiar televisyen percuma. Ketika ini, penyedia infrastruktur Televisyen Digital Daratan (DTT) siaran percuma (FTA) itu merancang mengenakan caj siaran digital tahunan sebanyak RM12 juta bagi siaran berdefinisi standard (SD); dan RM25 juta untuk siaran berdefinisi tinggi (HD). Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif, Rangkaian TV Media Prima (MPTN), Datuk Kamal Khalid, berkata selain Kumpulan Media Prima, rungutan caj terlalu tinggi itu turut diutarakan stesen televisyen lain kepada kerajaan serta Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM). Katanya, perbincangan dengan pihak MYTV masih diteruskan dan selagi isu itu tidak diselesaikan, sukar untuk kumpulan memuktamadkan keputusan menggunakan siaran SD atau beralih kepada HD pada masa depan. "Alhamdulillah pihak MYTV mendengar rungutan kami dan sedang berusaha mencari jalan penyelesaian, termasuk mengkaji semula caj terbabit. "Kami berharap mereka akan menawarkan caj yang berpatutan supaya kami dan pengusaha lain dapat menyampaikan kandungan televisyen dengan baik kepada rakyat Malaysia," katanya selepas pelancaran Laman Idaman 'Syukur Selalu' di sini, hari ini.

Selanjutnya di : http://www.bharian.com.my/node/165245

Portfolio rights of beIN Sports:
Football: Serie A, Bundesliga, Championship, Capital One Cup, Scottish Professional Football League, Europa League, FA Community Shield, Copa Libertadores & Copa Sudamericana.
Rugby: RBS Six Nations, European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, International test matches.

Not quite sure which of those cups, leagues and championships will be made available in Malaysia.

https://beinmediagroup.com/subsidiary/bein-...s-asia-pacific/

beIN SPORTS in Singapore:

beIN SPORTS HD comes to StarHub TV
Singapore, 19 April 2016 – StarHub TV customers can look forward to even more world class football with the launch of beIN SPORTS HD on 20 April 2016. Featuring ‘live’ coverage of La Liga, Ligue 1, Coupe de la Ligue and Trophée des Champions matches in high definition, the channel will be available on StarHub TV Channel 213 and StarHub Go.

“We are delighted that our customers will be able to savour the best of Spanish and French football on beIN SPORTS HD. With so much football to catch, customers will be happy to hear that they can also watch the channel on their mobile devices anytime, anywhere,” said Ms Lee Soo Hui, Head of Media Business Unit, StarHub.

Yousef Al-Obaidly, Deputy CEO of beIN Media Group, said, “The new Singapore beIN SPORTS channel is a key component of our Asia Pacific presence and we are pleased to extend our relationship with StarHub to bring this high quality channel in HD to football fans in Singapore.”

The first division of Spanish professional football, La Liga is one of the most popular leagues in the world. Featuring household names such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Gareth Bale, La Liga clubs have won the most UEFA Champions League tournaments (15). La Liga players have won the highest number of FIFA World Player of the Year awards (11) and Ballon d'Or awards (18).

Ligue 1 is the top division of French professional football. The current champions are Paris Saint-Germain, whose roster includes world class players like Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Edinson Cavani and Marco Verratti. The league also includes storied clubs such as the first and only French club to win the UEFA Champions League, Olympique de Marseille and ten-time league champions AS Saint-Étienne.

The Coupe de la Ligue (French League Cup) is a knockout cup competition. Established in 1994, the tournament runs from August to April and is open to professional clubs in the top three football divisions of French football. The Trophée des Champions (Champions' Trophy) is the annual curtain-raiser contested between the Ligue 1 champions and the Coupe de France holders.

To give sports fans a taste of the channel, a free preview will be available for all StarHub TV customers with HD set-top boxes from launch to 3 May 2016, 12 noon.

beIN SPORTS HD will be available on the Sports Group at a monthly subscription fee of $21.40 (including GST) and the Football Pack at a monthly subscription fee of $14.90 (including GST). Existing Sports Group and Football Pack customers will be able to watch the channel at no additional charge. An HD set-top box is required to access the channel. Non-StarHub TV customers can also watch the channel via the Go Sports Pack on StarHub Go.

For more information, please visit www.starhub.com/beinsports.

Haha, empty vessel makes the loudest sound. The statement in the end - users have the choice not to subscribe to ASTRO service. Very expected of him. He wants us to watch RTM is it? Even Bernama is not available as FTA channel (though nobody watch the channel on ASTRO, HYPPTV or online)

For TELCOS, users are spoiled for choice. For pay TV, HYPPTV is nowhere close to ASTRO. Just a storm in a teacup.

Android Box is a good option if internet is fast enough. Looks like TM won't upgrade 1mbps streamyx in my area anytime soon.

This post has been edited by izwanikhsan: Jul 1 2016, 09:11 AM

FREE PREVIEW FOR RAYA:




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I don't find anything interesting on Nilai Pack. Astro Warna and Citra keeps on repeating same programs, Indo Pek's programs are so outdated we can watch all Indonesian channels LIVE on MIVOTV. Meanwhile, Astro Box Office is no longer showing box office movies which are now put under ASTRO FIRST.

According to research analysts, the price hike may backfire

http://www.thestar.com.my/business/busines...-hold-on-astro/

Old basic sport package? Are you referring to SPORT LITE PACKAGE or SPORT PACK without the new channels that will be launched (BeIN & Supersport 4 HD)?

My other account in parent's house use FAMILY PACKAGE. Contract has ended years ago. Request for termination because nobody watches, being offered FAMILY LITE package at RM21.20. Didn't give answer there and then I said I wanna think first.

1. Yes, new contract for IPTV.

2. Yes, ASTRO IPTV will use fiber to watch ASTRO, not satellite.

Yes, in order not to be tied with ASTRO IPTV contract, you need to subscribe to MAXIS fiber as a stand alone package. You can continue your Astro (satellite) subscription as MAXIS fiber package is not tied to ASTRO. Why don't you go for UNIFI?