Astro All Asia Networks (Astro), which runs Malaysia’s only direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television platform, is confident it can replicate the success in its home market in Indonesia.

David Butorac, Astro’s COO, told Satellite Today that he believes there is a strong market for DTH services in Indonesia. “We see Indonesia as a great opportunity. If you look at the penetration of multichannel in Indonesia, it is relatively low by comparison to other markets, our own included,” he said. “We are embarking on a joint venture with the Lippo Group in Indonesia, which operates Indonesia’s largest multichannel [service provider] Kablevision, and will be launching a DTH multichannel Astro- branded service in the coming months.”

At the end of July, Astro had about 1.7 million subscribers in Malaysia, which equates to around 32 percent of the population.

An in-depth interview with David Butorac can be found in the October 24^th issue of Satellite News. For more information about subscribing to Access Intelligence’s satellite newsletters, check out our Web site at https://www.satellitetoday.com.