New companies need time to compete with Astro

KUALA LUMPUR: New companies which have been given the content applications service provider (CASP) individual licence will need time to convince television content providers before they are able to operate and compete fully with Astro.

Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Eddin Syazlee Shith said Astro was in the same situation when they first started 20 years ago before they made a name for themselves and able to continue to operate until yesterday.

“A new company will face difficulties in gaining rights because they need to convince the content providers to sell them the contents and this is normal for companies which have been in operation for just two or three months.

“Astro began operating in 1997 but was only fully operational in 1999. Despite being given the rights for the last 20 years, they only enjoyed returns after 15 or 16 years in operation,” he told the Dewan Rakyat sitting yesterday.

He said this in reply to a supplementary question from Mohd Shahar Abdullah (BN-Paya Besar) who wanted to know how the government was going to end Astro’s monopoly after 20 years and how new licensed companies could compete.

Eddin Syazlee said that if these new companies were given enough time and were able to get their contents, healthy competition would prevail and consumers would have options. Mohd Shahar in his original question asked the ministry to state the initiatives to be given to broadcasting companies to help them acquire the CASP licence and broadcasting rights to compete with monopoly of the existing company so that people would have other alternatives.

Eddin Syazlee pointed out that any party intending to provide broadcasting services could submit a CASP license application to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for evaluation and recommendations.

Earlier Eddin Syazlee reportedly said as at Sept 30, 35 companies have been awarded the CASP individual licence by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to provide TV broadcasting services through various platforms such as satellite, free-toair broadcasts, Internet protocol and digital terrestrial television broadcasting (DTTB).

Of the 35, four companies have been issued licence to provide satellite television broadcasting services. - Bernama