KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 — Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad posted results for the financial year which ended on January 31, indicating its revenue remains stable at RM5.5 billion.
The results also indicated its commerce revenue growing in the double digits, at over 29 per cent year-over-year (y-o-y) to RM374 million.
“The strong free cash flow of RM1.3 billion has also enabled a fourth interim dividend of 1.50 sen per share,” said Astro in a statement.
Its chairman Tun Zaki Azmi was quoted as saying the organisation continues to be cash generative, cost disciplined and proactive in its capital management in a competitive media landscape.
The results also indicated Astro’s overall viewership is on the rise, with 5.7 million or 77 per cent of Malaysian households subscribing to it, garnering TV viewership share of 75 per cent,
“Total video views are growing with the number of connected set-top-boxes increasing by 25 per cent y-o-y to surpass the one million mark, driving On Demand downloads by 135 per cent to 54 million videos in a year. More Astro customers are also watching content on their mobile devices, with registered Astro GO users growing by 32 per cent to 2.2 million,” it said.
Astro’s radio brand also continues to resonate with 16.2 million weekly listeners, and a growing presence on digital platforms with average monthly digital streams of 14.8 million, up by 53 per cent y-o-y.
According to Astro’s chief executive officer Henry Tan, the organisation is reviewing its business in light of the challenging operating environment, so that it can remain efficient and agile in serving its customers better.
“Our focus will remain on serving our 5.7 million Malaysian homes and 23 million individuals via our Pay TV and NJOI platforms, with differentiated and compelling content.
“Content licensing and theatrical sales are showing promising growth trajectory, by leveraging on our customer base and our ability to reach and engage on television, radio and digital platforms, as well as revenue adjacencies such as Commerce and Adex,” he was quoted as saying.
* A previous version of the report contained an error on the dividend amount. The report has since been corrected.
