Maxis has signed a partnership with Astro today to offer Internet Protocol television (IPTV) contents and channels via Maxis’ Fibre Internet, Mobile Internet, Wireless Internet and ADSL services. MalaysianWireless previously reported that both companies were expected to sign a partnership agreement.
[(From Left)Ms Liew Swee Lin, Astro’s Chief Commercial Officer, Datuk Rohana Rozhan, Astro’s Chief Executive Officer, Sandip Das, Maxis’ Chief Executive Officer and Mark Dioguardi, Maxis’ Joint Chief Operating Officerat the signing ceremony]
The agreement will also allow Astro to expand its B.yond IPTV service footprint which is currently only available via Time dotCom’s fibre broadband service. Additionally, Maxis will also have access to a specially developed content package from Astro.
Via the partnership, Maxis has been appointed the fibre broadband service provider for Astro’s B.yond IPTV to significantly expand the current service footprint. Astro, meanwhile, will be the IPTV service provider for all Maxis fixed and wireless platforms. In the next few months, both Maxis and Astro are expected to jointly develop the consumer packages, targeted to be launched into the market, in phases. Each company will jointly market these unique packages through all their respective distribution channels.
In addition to this partnership, Astro and Maxis have also tied up a co-marketing mobile partnership for Astro On-The-Go services to Maxis customers. Astro On-The Go (AOTG) delivers entertainment from Astro TV and Radio channels, live events, Video On Demand (VOD) and catch up TV on Apple and selected Samsung Android smartphones, tablets and PCs/laptops. Currently this service is available to all existing Astro customers and will be available to non Astro customers by end of this year.
In response to questions from MalaysianWireless, Dato’ Rohana Rozan who is the CEO of Astro Malaysia Holding Berhad commented that the partnership with Time dotCom is focused at high rise buildings which has limited coverage. She said that the partnership with Maxis will help Astro to acquire more customers, targeted at 1.3million fibre homes passed for its B.yond IPTV service.
Commenting on the partnership with 14 content providers for Maxis IPTV service last June, Sandip Das, CEO of Maxis said “Our economic commitment to them will not change, however things will have to work out in the new context”. Sandip told MalaysianWireless that Maxis will continue to see the 14 content providers as partners in the future but did not say if the current partnership with them remains active.
The 14 content providers that signed with Maxis are Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), All Asia Multimedia Networks FZ-LLC, Media Prima Berhad, LI TV International Ltd, Red Bull GmbH, Five Star Production Co. Ltd, Vision Plus Entertainment Sdn Bhd, Travel Channel International Limited, Asa’ad Entertainment Network Sdn Bhd, Brilliant Pictures, Five Star Trading, Trace TV S.A., The Wiggles International Pty Ltd and Classic Media Distribution Limited.
As at end of Quarter 2 2012, Maxis Home had a total of over 57,000 customers on board, including 9,352 who are Home Fibre Internet and over 27,000 who are Home Wireless Internet subscribers, with the balance being ADSL and POTs subscribers.
