Malaysian Pay-TV Platform Unveils TV Everywhere Strategy

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian DTH platform Astro is set to begin rolling out a new service that will allow subscribers to access live TV and VOD on their smartphones, tablets and laptops.

Astro On-The-Go will enable out-of-home access to the Astro TV service on portable devices, beginning with the iPad. All Astro subscribers will be able to try the service from now through August 31, delivering access to 11 TV channels—a number of Astro-branded services, plus CNN, Disney, Disney Junior and One HD—catch-up and on-demand offerings and live events. The trial will include all 31 live matches from this summer’s EURO 2012. Beginning September 1, only Astro B.yond IPTV customers and those subscribers with more than one box will be able to access Astro On-the-Go. This September, the service will also be extended to Android devices. By the end of the year, the service will be accessible by all Astro customers.

“As a leading-edge innovator, Astro has many firsts, like high definition, 3D, PVR and Astro First," said Rohana Rozhan, the CEO of Astro. "Today, we proudly unveil another innovative ‘first’ and I am proud to introduce Astro On-The-Go, an innovative new service where you can enjoy your favorite shows on the devices of your choice. Astro On-The-Go is an individual’s personal TV experience which you can take with you, your favorite Astro shows from your home to your smartphone, tablet and laptop on the go."

She continued, “Astro On-The-Go and VOD reflects Astro’s continuous growth, as our ongoing efforts to embrace technological innovations and new content delivery platforms have allowed us to unlock Astro’s true potential as an integrated media group. With Astro On-The-Go, everyone can watch, listen and even read the very best of Astro, anywhere and anytime, over any device of their choice. This is a significant step towards Astro’s aspiration to grow our customer base and to extend our reach to a wider viewership across every generation of Malaysians, wherever they are.”