KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad has seen a record jump in its viewership during the first quarter of 2020, in part due to the movement control order (MCO) imposed as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite lower revenue year-on-year (y-o-y) by RM182 million, resulting from a decline in advertising and subscription, Astro attracted over 250,000 new users by making its premium content Astro GO free for all Malaysians.
Its chairman Tun Zaki Azmi said the company, having instituted its business continuity plan, remains focused on delivering uninterrupted service to its customers whilst safeguarding the health and safety of its employees.
“Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Astro continues to be cash-generative, cost disciplined and proactive in its capital management,” he said in a statement.
Throughout the MCO, Astro said it kept viewers informed and entertained with complimentary viewing of Movies, News, Learning and Stay Home Concert channels, while its Njoi customers received complimentary viewing of additional channels.
It said television viewership share rose by one percentage point year-on-year to 74 per cent, with Astro On Demand titles streaming rising by 119 per cent to 35 million while average weekly time spent increased by 15 per cent to 556 minutes.
Astro GO’s monthly average users rose by 31 per cent to 1.2 million while average weekly viewing time spent increased by 12 per cent to 191 minutes, it said. The SYOK app garnered over 318,000 monthly active users, which equates to a 16 per cent quarter-on-quarter growth.
Its group chief executive officer Henry Tan said the company was quick to take a series of actions to support the nation, customers and communities.
“As an essential service provider, we assisted in broadcasting over 3,000 hours of public service announcements, provided news coverage and debunked misinformation across our TV, radio and digital platforms.
“With the closure of cinemas, we worked with local film producers to premiere their movies direct to homes on Astro First,” he said.
Tan added that Astro temporarily suspended disconnections and offered instalment payment plans for eligible customers to alleviate their financial burden during this difficult time.
“In addition, with the postponement of live sports events globally, Astro offered Sports Pack customers complimentary viewing of all channels as well as a one-off rebate of RM40 per subscriber pack.
“Our businesses were impacted by lower advertising spends and restrictions in upselling and installations. With most commercial establishments not allowed to operate, we proactively introduced flexible subscription and payment arrangements,” he said.
