Astro Records Q-o-Q Improvement
Date Released:15 Sep 2020
Share
Tweet
PATAMI 81% q-o-q to RM134mn | Go Shop revenue 52% q-o-q to RM145mn
Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad | Result highlights for the second quarter of the financial year ended 31 January 2021 [All comparisons refer to the first quarter of FY21 (Q1FY21): quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) comparison, except as noted]:
Revenue 4% q-o-q to RM1.09bn
EBITDA 13% q-o-q to RM372mn
PATAMI 81% q-o-q to RM134mn; Normalised PATAMI* 13% q-o-q to RM121mn
Higher dividend of 1.5 sen per share (Q1FY21: 1 sen per share)
Pay-TV ARPU moderated to RM98 primarily due to one-off Sports Pack rebate
Go Shop posted record quarterly revenue: 52% q-o-q to RM145mn
Tun Zaki Azmi, Chairman of Astro, said: With the gradual restarting of economic activities, we saw encouraging signs of recovery in the second quarter. Astro's balance sheet remained strong as it continued to be cash generative, cost disciplined and proactive in its capital management. Despite this, we remain prudent in view of the uncertainties arising from the pandemic. Nevertheless, the Board has declared a higher dividend of 1.5 sen in Q2FY21 (Q1FY21: 1 sen per share).
Henry Tan, Group Chief Executive Officer of Astro said: Playing our role as a responsible corporate citizen, we acted quickly amid the challenging operating environment to serve our customers and nation as well as to ensure the well-being of our employees. We delayed several initiatives including upselling, installations and production of live reality shows. Go Shop pivoted to offer fresh and frozen food and saw record performance. The Q2FY21 results included the full effect of the one-off Sports Pack rebate given to our loyal Sports customers. We believed this was the right thing to do - providing access to other content and compensating for the absence of live sports.
Operations are now close to full capacity. Installations have resumed and we see the Astro Ultra Box continuing its growth trajectory, with over 100k boxes installed, up 60% over 3 months. Customers payment trend is also encouraging, and local productions, global live sports and on-ground events are resuming.
Key Highlights:
Record Performance for Go Shop: Go Shop sustained its strong performance and generated profits. Its registered customers rose 31% y-o-y to 2.6mn. Digital now accounts for 50% of its total sales.
Leading Share in TV Households: With a total customer base of 5.7mn, or 75% of TV households, Astro continues to entertain Malaysians with its signature vernacular and premium content. Our local and vernacular content continues to drive viewership and ad revenue. Customers can look forward to The Masked Singer, the highly anticipated Malaysian version of Korean singing sensation on 18 September.
Headroom for Growth in Sports: As the exclusive broadcaster for the Premier League, Astro provides the most comprehensive coverage with all 380 matches, live and in HD. With the new Ultra Box bundled with Broadband, football fans can enjoy the best viewing experience in 4K UHD and On Demand. With Astro GO, they will never miss a sporting moment!
Home Cinema on Astro First: Our home cinema proposition saw great interest with a 40% y-o-y jump in Pay-Per-View buys in the first half of the year. The positive trend is expected to continue. The latest movie, Jebat, achieved over RM2mn buys in just 11 days.
Strong Digital Engagement: Astro's TV viewership share is strong at 71% with our customers watching over 4 hours of Astro daily across TV, On Demand and Astro GO. With access to over 50k On Demand titles, customers have streamed 77mn On Demand videos in the first half of the year. This is more than double over last year. Average weekly time spent increased by 21% y-o-y to 561 minutes. Astro GO's monthly active users rose 66% y-o-y to 1.4mn while SYOK grew its monthly unique visitors by 9% q-o-q to 345k.
Challenging Adex Environment: With advertisers holding back spending and a pause in the production of Astro's live reality signature content during the MCO, Adex in Q2FY21 declined by 11% q-o-q to RM80mn. Radex, TV Adex and Digital Adex share stood at 81%, 38% and 2% respectively. Adex started to improve from June with the resumption of signature shows, live productions and on-ground events.
Outlook Astro remains cautious in the second half of FY21 due to prevailing uncertainties amid the pandemic, structural changes in the media industry and the ongoing acts of piracy. We are mindful of the potential impact on consumers' disposable income and sentiments when the loan moratorium ends. We will continue to support our commercial customers, who are still affected by the ongoing RMCO.
The Group's agility in adapting to the new normal has allowed us to deepen our engagement with customers, strengthen our value proposition and seize opportunities for adjacencies in commerce, broadband, digital and OTT. We are committed to be the Entertainment Destination for Malaysians and will drive digital, aggregate more streaming OTT services, push broadband bundles, produce more winning and compelling content whilst simplifying our products, packages and processes. Tan said.
* Normalised PATAMI excludes post-tax impact of unrealised forex gain/(loss) due to mark-to-market revaluation of transponder-related lease liabilities.
Asia, Australia & Oceanic Stories
30/06/2025
SBS On Demand boosts global news offering with launch of France 24 FAST Channel
30 June, 2025
Media releases
SBS is expanding its international news offeri...
27/06/2025
27 06 2025 - Media release Game, set, action! Screen Australia and ABC announce new mini-series Goolagong
Marton Csokas and Lila McGuire of Goolagong. Image c...
26/06/2025
Buckle up for Great Australian Road Trips launching 31 July on SBS and SBS On De...
20/06/2025
Hit, run, oh sh#t: NITV and SBS get RECKLESS with filming underway in Western Au...
13/06/2025
Pure Drama and Fierce Rivalries set to dominate the world's most iconic spor...
12/06/2025
50 Years Strong: SBS and NITV Supercharge NAIDOC Week 2025 in a joint 50th celeb...
06/06/2025
06 06 2025 - Media release Award-Winning TV Creators Richard Gadd, Sally Wainwri...
03/06/2025
Stories of love, loyalty and self-discovery among six shortlisted Digital Origin...
28/05/2025
SBS celebrates 50 years of reflecting a diverse and contemporary Australia
28 May, 2025
Media releases
Marking 50 years of broadcasting on 9 June 2025, SBS...
28/05/2025
ABS and Verticloud announce a Strategic Partnership to accelerate Digital Transf...
22/05/2025
SBS and Screen Australia showcase the next wave of Australian storytellers with ...
22/05/2025
Rune Pedersen unpacks How Humans Talk in new SBS Audio podcast
22 May, 2025
Media releases
Ever caught yourself using baby talk with your pet and wondered ...
19/05/2025
Eurovision delivers strong Total TV audiences for SBS, dazzling more than 2.21 m...
16/05/2025
Proper Loved Up Stage One Recipients Announced
16 May, 2025
Media releases
Screen Australia's First Nations Department, the Australian Broadcasting Cor...
15/05/2025
Australia's boldest network SBS launches new brand campaign: We Go There...
15/05/2025
We Go There SBS On Demand's new Hub is entirely bold and unmistakably SBS
15 May, 2025
Media releases
The We Go There Hub brings together over 300 ti...
14/05/2025
ABS and SpaceBridge to Join Forces to Strengthen Managed Services Across Europe,...
13/05/2025
Alone Australia Season 3: The Reunion
13 May, 2025
Media releases
As the latest season nears its end, SBS's hit series brings full cast together for re...
13/05/2025
Teletimes interviews ABS CEO, Mark Rigolle...
12/05/2025
And They're Off! The Pure Drama of the Cycling Grand Tours Continues on SBS,...
12/05/2025
10 05 2025 - Media release Australian Filmmaker Lucy Mckendrick Set For Directin...
07/05/2025
SBS and NITV mark National Reconciliation Week with compelling premieres recogni...
07/05/2025
SBS commences search for a new Western Sydney production hub location
7 May, 2025
Media releases
SBS has today launched a Request for Expressions of Intere...
02/05/2025
SBS On Demand achieves stellar month on the back of Alone Australia and The Hand...
01/05/2025
01 05 2025 - Media release Screen Australia empowers 100 distinctive Australian narratives
All The Boys Are Here writer/director Goran Stolevski and It s All...
30/04/2025
Slam poet Huda the Goddess wins 2025 Les Murray Award
30 April, 2025
Media releases
Australia for UNHCR and SBS are proud to announce that Huda Fadlelmawla...
30/04/2025
SBS, NITV and NIDA partner to empower the next generation of screen creatives
30 April, 2025
Media releases
SBS, National Indigenous Television (NITV) and ...
23/04/2025
We heard that you could use a little pick-me-up, so get ready to sh-sh-shake it ...
22/04/2025
McAvaney takes the lead for SBS' Coverage of the World Athletics Championshi...
16/04/2025
Finalists announced! Five stand-out brands shortlisted for SBS Media's Susta...
15/04/2025
Claudia Karvan, Tom Gleeson, and Mark Coles Smith join in the adventure of a lif...
15/04/2025
SBS and Volleyball World sign landmark deal for Beach Volleyball World Champions...
14/04/2025
SBS becomes first Australian broadcaster to have near-and long-term carbon reduc...
11/04/2025
Isn't that Insightful? Kumi Taguchi dives deeper into Insight's taboo to...
09/04/2025
SBS On Demand partners with Euronews to extend network news offering
9 April, 2025
Media releases
SBS is expanding its international news offering with the...
09/04/2025
SBS announces TV's hottest new couple, Tony Armstrong and Courtney Act, as E...
09/04/2025
09 04 2025 - Media release Screen Australia and ACTF Kids IP Incubator Initiative enters next phase
Kids IP Incubator recipients in Melbourne for the workshop...
07/04/2025
Olympic Gold medallist and World Time Trial Champion Grace Brown joins SBS comme...
07/04/2025
Female focus: New season of Living Black highlights women in Federal Election ye...
07/04/2025
SBS News' Cost of Living Secrets podcast returns to tackle one of the key is...
04/04/2025
SBS announces initiatives to provide all Australians with trusted news and infor...
01/04/2025
01 04 2025 - Media release Bus Stop Films' first feature Boss Cat to begin production in June
Boss Cat cast (L-R): Olivia Hargroder, Penny Downie and Juli...
31/03/2025
Ready, set, Party Time!' SBS News empowers young voters with a new politica...
28/03/2025
Marion Grasby's Flavours of Heart & Home is a celebration of culture and fam...
28/03/2025
SBS delivers Federal Election news to Australians in over 60 languages
28 March, 2025
Media releases
As Australia heads to the polls on 3 May, Australia...
26/03/2025
The Secret DNA of Us premieres 17 April
20 March, 2025
Media releases
Family secrets, royal relationships and hidden histories revealed What would you disc...
24/03/2025
ABS further Strengthens Leadership Team with Appointment of Matthieu Boutrolle a...
19/03/2025
NITV and Cricket Australia elevate First Nations sport with National Indigenous ...
19/03/2025
Yumi Stynes wants older women to be SEEN' as SBS podcast returns
19 March, 2025
Media releases
Feminist icon Yumi Stynes shines a spotlight on trailbl...
Astro Records Q-o-Q Improvement 
