%201.png){kind=logo}
KUALA LUMPUR: Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (“Astro”) delivered a resilient start to FY27, supported by strong demand for local content that resonates across the region and growing streaming engagement. The quarter also saw strong festive engagement during the Chinese New Year and Hari Raya periods, reinforcing Astro's position as the preferred destination for shared entertainment.
Astro's content continues to dominate. Local and vernacular content accounted for 84% of total viewing across Astro's platforms, highlighting the enduring appeal of Malaysian stories and Astro's position as the nation's leading content creator and aggregator.
LOCAL CONTENT CONTINUES TO RESONATE
The strength of Astro's content ecosystem was reflected in the performance of its originals, dramas, and films across platforms, with six shows appearing on the Top 10 titles on Netflix Malaysia — Good Boys Go To Heaven, Bapa Mentuaku Mafia, One Cent Thief: Season 2, Generasi Perfect 10, Thariq Rizwan and Bahagia Tertangguh. With all content produced by Astro, this reflects Astro's ability to create compelling local stories that resonate beyond its owned platforms. All titles also expanded their reach to all ASEAN countries, reinforcing Astro's ability to scale Malaysian stories regionally.
Building on this momentum, Astro Shaw continued to strengthen Malaysia's creative industry through a series of successful theatrical releases. Following the success of PapaZola The Movie and Malam Terlarang, the studio delivered back-to-back box-office hits with Malaikat Malam and Tarung:Unforgiven, which generated RM14 million and RM23 million in gross box office receipts respectively, reinforcing the commercial strength of Astro’s content pipeline.
Astro remained a preferred destination for entertainment during the quarter's key festive periods. Andai Itu Takdirnya 2 generated 131 million total views and 156 million social media views, while Dapur Goodday: Misi Inspektor Sani returned for a second season. During this period, Astro was also central to crafting an unforgettable moment that resonated nationwide – the live coverage of #BellaSyedYes Engagement – generating 130 million total views across Astro’s platforms and 121 million social views. This partnership with the couple who have captured the hearts of the nation achieved joint attention transcending demographic and cultural boundaries, while also creating valuable brand integration opportunities for partners.
Beyond entertainment, Astro reinforced its position as Malaysia's Home of Sports. The BWF All England Championship generated 85 million total views, while premium football properties including the AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers continued to attract strong audience engagement across Astro's platforms.
STRENGTHENING ENTERTAINMENT ECOSYSTEM
The Group continues to strengthen content discovery and consumption through an increasingly connected ecosystem. During the quarter, Astro further enhanced its position as Malaysia’s leading content aggregator by adding more value into Astro One bundles with OTT providers such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, as well a complimentary Blockbuster Pack, giving customers seamless access to more premium local and global entertainment alongside Astro's own content offerings through a single platform.
Meanwhile, Sooka's VIP paying subscriber base grew 29% year-on-year (YoY), while Monthly Active Users (MAU) reached approximately 975,000. Total minutes streamed increased 48% YoY to nearly 2.0 billion minutes, reflecting rising engagement and Sooka's growing role within Astro's entertainment ecosystem.
This growth highlights how Astro continues to serve diverse audience segments through its integrated video ecosystem comprising Pay-TV, Sooka, and NJOI, ensuring quality entertainment experiences across different viewing preferences and budgets.
Astro Audio maintained its position as Malaysia's leading audio network, reaching 16.2 million weekly listeners across FM and digital platforms. Radio advertising remained resilient, supported by a SME focused strategy and initiatives such as SMEvaganza which helps businesses leverage Astro's integrated advertising ecosystem to reach and engage consumers. Together, these efforts reinforce Astro's position as an attention-led platform spanning on-screen, digital, audio and on-ground touchpoints.
DRIVING POSITIVE IMPACT AND INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP
Beyond content and distribution, Astro remains committed to creating positive social impact through sports, education and community development. Astro Kem Badminton (AKB) reached more than 1,900 students nationwide this year, while Klinik Sepak Takraw League (STL) and Klinik Netball Super League (NSL) engaged over 2,500 students through grassroots clinics across the nation. These efforts were complemented by strong fan engagement, with the CelcomDigi NSL 2026 generating more than 16 million total views and 111 million social views.
Astro also continued to advance its sustainability agenda through the Rimba Kita initiative. Funds raised were channelled towards the launch of the EcoSchools programme at SK Kuala Pomson in partnership with the Green Growth Asia Foundation, empowering students to take an active lead role in environmental conservation through a two-year sustainability education programme.
Astro's commitment to content excellence continues to earn industry recognition during the quarter. Astro Arena secured four awards at the Anugerah SAM-100PLUS 2025, including the prestigious Anugerah Siebel, the highest honour presented by the Sports Writers Association of Malaysia (SAM), reinforcing the trust of its sports journalism and content offering. Astro was also recognised at the Employee Experience Awards 2026 with a Bronze award for Best Learning and Development Programme, reflecting its continued focus on talent development and long-term capability building.
Astro continued to intensify its anti-piracy efforts during the quarter. The Group secured four successful civil enforcement actions, resulting in RM157,000 in damages, costs, and subscription fees. Together with authorities, Astro facilitated the removal of more than 114,000 illegal links (including 667 Telegram groups with a combined 14.1 million subscribers), as well as 8,469 e-commerce listings promoting illicit streaming devices and applications.
We are also increasingly involved in cross-border enforcement. An Astro-led initiative involving the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) of the Royal Malaysia Police, National Central Bureau (NCB) Kuala Lumpur, and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), together with regional enforcement partners, contributed to successful enforcement actions against an organised IPTV piracy syndicate operating across Malaysia and Thailand, reflecting the effectiveness of cross-border collaboration in support of INTERPOL’s Stop Online Piracy (I-SOP) initiative. These efforts underscore Astro’s commitment on protecting IP rights and supporting a sustainable media ecosystem.
FINANCIAL DISCIPLINE
Astro continues to prioritise sustainable growth, operational efficiency and prudent capital allocation amid selective consumer spending. This disciplined approach allows the Group to invest in future growth opportunities while maintaining a resilient financial position. Key Q1 financial highlights:
• Revenue of RM660 million, reflecting softer contributions from subscription, advertising, film and production services in line with seasonal trends.
• Adex of RM68 million, with radio advertising remaining resilient despite softer market conditions and ongoing shifts in advertising spend towards digital channels.
• ARPU of RM93.90, reflecting Astro's strategy of enhancing affordability and value to support customer acquisition and retention through stronger value propositions.
• EBITDA of RM133 million, with margins improving to 20%, supported by lower impairment of receivables and continued cost discipline across marketing, distribution, broadband, and content operations, partially offset by higher SRC-related costs.
• PATAMI of RM2 million.
• Free cash flow of RM100 million, demonstrating the Group's continued ability to generate cash despite a softer operating environment.
• Cash and bank balances of RM491 million, with Net Debt-to-EBITDA at 3.0x.
• OPEX declined 8% QoQ as the Group continued to optimise costs while investing selectively in future growth initiatives.
GROUP CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER’S STATEMENT: DR. GRACE LEE
"The operating environment remains challenging as consumers continue to navigate cost pressures and make increasingly selective spending decisions. Despite these headwinds, Astro's resilient performance during the quarter reflects the enduring appeal of quality local content, the strength of our integrated entertainment ecosystem, and the disciplined execution of our long-term strategy.
The Group remains focused on strengthening customer value propositions, expanding adjacent businesses, and investing in content and streaming capabilities that resonate with more Malaysians and drive sustainable revenue growth.”
As the media landscape continues to evolve, Astro is focused on balancing transformation ambitions with prudent financial management. Astro's unique position as Malaysia's leading content creator, aggregator, and distributor provides a strong foundation for the future.
The Board would like to register their appreciation towards Euan Smith for his contributions to Astro over the last six years. With the recent appointment of Henry Tan as interim GCEO, Astro stays firmly on course to be the entertainment destination of choice for Malaysians. Looking ahead, Astro is committed in progressing together with its stakeholders and the nation, strengthening long-term competitiveness, and creating lasting value for customers, partners, employees, shareholders, and the communities it serves.
