Astro has been operating in Malaysia for almost 30 years. Almost everywhere you go in Malaysia, you can see Astro-branded satellite dishes on houses, apartments, and shops. For a long time, Astro was the only way for Malaysians to get access to international content.
But we are in the 21st century now, and more and more people are turning to the Internet for their news, sports, and entertainment needs. Astro knows the market is getting very competitive nowadays and they are trying their best to stay relevant.
In a news report by The Edge Markets, Astro group chief operating officer and chief executive officer of TV, Euan Smith, said the company is investing further in global streaming services on Astro and producing more local content for Astro Originals.
He added the company is strengthening its ever-expanding online presence and looking for ways to boost its digital, broadband, and commerce operations.
We will leverage digital, data and technology to reimagine our business models.
Astro will continue to invest in its transformation plans, in particular content, broadband, streaming, customer experience, data, addressable advertising and technology infrastructure, to simplify our processes.
Astro group chief operating officer and chief executive officer of TV, Euan Smith
Smith stated that the company wants to turn Astro into an “incredibly effective machine” by providing the best content via the appropriate products and channels that appeal to customers.
He emphasised how Malaysia is moving toward over-the-top (OTT) services in a world of streaming, with more people seeking for suitable avenues to satisfy their entertainment demands and opening the door for streaming platforms.
However, the growing number of OTT services means that there is increasing saturation in the marketplace. With the proliferation of apps, the OTT space is getting more fragmented and expensive.
Customers are not willing to pay for multiple streaming service subscriptions individually, as the costs really start to spiral, and it is complex to maintain all these subscriptions, and finding what you want to watch is an increasing challenge.
Astro group chief operating officer and chief executive officer of TV, Euan Smith
He added this is why Astro partnered with global streaming services so that customers can watch what they want under one roof and the company is planning to add more streaming services such as beIN Sports content, BBC iPlayer and ZEE5.
Smith emphasised that Astro is always inventing and introducing new products and services, such as the Ultra and Ulti boxes, in order to maintain its relevance to modern demands and to provide uninterrupted watching experiences even when it is raining.
