astro

Astro is a subscription-based multi-channel satellite TV service in Malaysia and also Brunei, the service is also available in some parts of Indonesia. It was launched in 1995, after the Malaysian government eased its ban on private ownership of satellite dishes. It carries the five Malaysian terrestrial channels (TV1, TV2, TV3, 8tv and ntv7), plus a variety of channels catering for the country's three main ethnic groups, broadcasting in Malay languageMalay, Chinese languageChinese and Tamil languageTamil, as well as channels in English languageEnglish. The service uses a ku-Band satellite, which requires a smaller size dish to receive the signal - larger satellite dishes are still banned. Channels carried on the Astro platform are still subject to editorial control or censorship, although Western news channels like BBC World have been able to secure carriage on it, in spite of previous disagreements with the Malaysian government. Astro's own News Channel carries programming from the Arabic language news channel Al-Jazeera, dubbed in Malay languageMalay, as well as from Australia's ABC Asia Pacific, which has not yet been able to secure carriage on Astro. In 2003, Astro Ria was the first Malaysian channel to have a talent show based on the mexican television show ''La Academia'', called ''Akademi Fantasia''. The contest pits 12 singers in a bid to become the winner. The show is so popular in Malaysia and Brunei that a spin-off version was made in Indonesia and Thailand. A second season was made, which enabled Brunei viewers to vote as well. Now in its third season, 14 contestants instead of the original 12 are competing for the compeitition.

Ownership - Malaysian businessman Ananda Krishnan owns Astro's parent company, Astro All Asia Networks plc is listed on Bursa Malaysia in October 2003. Major shareholders of the Group include the Usaha Tegas Group (42.7%) and Khazanah Nasional Berhad (21.6%), the investment arm of the Malaysian Government.

Channel line-up -

New Competition - Astro monopolised the pay-TV network in Malaysia for several years after Mega TV folded in 2001. It had no pay tv competition until June 2004, when another company, MiTV, announced that it was launching its own pay-TV service by mid-2005 after having obtained all the necessary approvals from the censorship board on its broadcast contents.At the time of Astro's launch, there was only one free-to-air commercial TV station. There are now four.

See also -

List of Malaysian television stations

External links -

astro.com.my - Astro's official websiteCategory:La AcademiaCategory:Companies of MalaysiaCategory:Television in !Malaysiaes:Astroms:Astropl:Ast ro

Security & Biometrie
Astro is leading Manufacturer in biometrics security systems for Fingerprint, Face Recognition and Voice Recognition systems.
http://www.astro.de/

http://www.richardmurrin.com
Richard Murrin is a wonderful artist, fabulous paintings of astonomical fact and fiction Painted in oil or acrylic on canvas, this super 'Magic Realist' style heightens the visual senses and creates a full illusion of depth using sensual and spectacular images.
http://www.richardmurrin.com/

Erfahrene, kompetente Lebensberater. Lebensberatung Kartenlegen Reiki Pendeln Horoskope Astropsychologie Traumdeutung
Lebensberatung für die großen und kleinen Probleme im Alltag, im Job und in der Liebe durch erfahrene Astrologen, hellsichtigen Medien und Kartenlegern. Tel. 0900 33 34 35 01 00
http://www.haende-die-helfen.de/

Astro Pioneer Ltd
Our expertise has been called upon for a variety of projects, ranging from scientific ballooning to delving into the unexplored chambers of Egyptian pyramids. AstroPioneer Ltd. is dedicated to client satisfaction and forging lasting partnerships
http://astropioneer.co.uk/

Astrodienst
Offers a large selcection of charts, horoscopes and information. A database of over 200,000 cities with complete timezone and daylight savings time information.
http://www.astro.com/

American Society for Therapeutic Radiology And Oncology (ASTRO)
About ASTRO, education and meetings, information for members, information for patients, information for press, public news groups and new events and activities.
http://www.astro.org/

ASTRO
Pay per view satellite television network station, operated by MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems Sdn Bhd. Offers program schedule, @strozine and subscribers zone.
http://www.astro.com.my

Liftoff to Space Exploration
Up-to-date information about space, includes facts about launches, satellites, space stations, and astronaut training.
http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/

E-Print Archive of LANL
Open archive of publications from Los Alamos National Laboratory includes wide spectrum of topics on applied science.
http://xxx.lanl.gov