Astro B.yond IPTV Continues Expansion

KUALA LUMPUR: The Astro B.yond IPTV service is expected to expand into 167,000 homes in 730 high-rise residences in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, the northern state of Malaysia, by the end of the year.

Astro’s collaboration with TIME dotCom Berhad (TIME) to deliver IPTV kicked off in December 2010, bringing a multiplay of Astro channels in HD with Personal Video Recording (PVR) and VOD services delivered via TIME’s 100-percent fibre broadband offering. Customers can access popular VOD titles—dramas, wellness and children’s series—while the on-demand library will be expanded over time.

Dato’ Rohana Rozhan, the CEO of Astro Malaysia, said, "In December 2009, with the launch of Astro B.yond, we brought the first HD and 3D channels, then PVR services to Malaysians. Since launch, we have seen unprecedented demand for our services, which are now in more than 500,000 out of 3 million Astro homes. However, almost 320,000 existing Astro customers living in centralized high-rise residences are unable to enjoy Astro B.yond services and this presents an opportunity for Astro to bring these services to them."

Afzal Abdul Rahim, TIME’s CEO, commented, “The launch of Astro B.yond IPTV significantly advances the multimedia and internet experience in Malaysian homes. The combined expertise of Astro’s programming proficiency and TIME’s robust 100-percent fibre-based network certainly ranks Astro B.yond IPTV as the best product available in the market. As Astro’s preferred network partner, we are well on course to wiring-up the target buildings and are committed to making this partnership a collective success."

Rohana continued, “At 50-percent penetration of Malaysian TV homes, we are an integral part of viewers and listeners’ daily lives. This is a privilege that Astro does not take lightly. Moving forward, Astro will continuously strive to provide the best value to our customers and to remain as customer’s preferred choice for home entertainment. In doing so, we are open to mutually beneficial, win-win partnerships with other Fibre-to-the-Home (FttH) partners to ensure that Astro B.yond IPTV’s multiplay offering is available throughout Malaysia.”