The group CEO-designate of Astro shares how Astro has remained innovative and what fans can look out for this World Cup season

Officially joining Astro in April 2020, Euan Smith is set to assume the role of group CEO of Astro Malaysia in February 2023.

“I’ve been in the TV industry for 20 years, and have been in five different markets,” shares the mechanical engineering graduate, who prior to joining the industry, was involved in establishing Solero ice cream by Wall’s at Unilever.

He first got into television with Sky UK. “I learnt a lot at Sky,” shares the 53-year-old, “and then my boss moved to the German branch, and I tagged along to help him run the operations there. My next job was in the US, which was building a completely new streaming service for the Fox Corporation, and later in Australia with Foxtel, helping it turn around through its streaming platform. The natural next step for me was to come to Astro and bring the things I’ve learnt to a very different market.” 

Now in its 26th year of its existence, Astro is pivoting from a purely satellite broadcaster to a streaming first aggregation platform, with packaged offerings that include Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix, HBO Go, TVBAnywhere+, iQiyi and beIN Sports Connect on top of providing quality local and vernacular originals so customers can truly enjoy a wide range of entertainment.

Read more: Local Movies to Watch on Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar

Tatler Asia
Above A Liverpool FC fan, Smith is right at home at Astro, the prime channel for live sporting action

“I think most Malaysians still see Astro as a satellite TV service that gets interrupted by rain,” Smith said. “But we’re so much more different now. The way we’ve set ourselves up is now about streaming and convenience on any screen, not just your regular TV set.

"We used to be about channels, but as the world migrates to streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar and iQiyi, clearly our job is to still give customers the best content which I believe we have with our slate of Astro content and some fantastic sports events. And then we're aggregating all the best of the apps. Astro is no longer what you thought it was. You can get it simply over IP (Internet protocol) now, so you don’t need a dish; the Astro box works under any format. And of course, rain fade is a thing of the past.” 

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Smith points out that “Astro serves 5.5 million homes, or 70 per cent of Malaysian TV households, while hoping to serve more customers and sports fans come this November.”

That's because one of the biggest sporting events, the Fifa World Cup, will kick off in Qatar on November 20. One of the most watched televised events, Astro as the official broadcaster is providing uninterrupted viewing to all 64 games.

“Astro is known for sports, and it’s one of the key reasons customers get us. Whether it’s football, Formula One, NBA, golf or cricket, we’re truly the home of sports. And our head of sports, Nicholas John, has been doing a terrific job, building a whole series of experiences on top of regular programming, to engage Malaysian sports fans."

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Smith adds that Astro goes the extra mile to provide the best viewing experience. "The matches on our platform are all available in 4K UHD, especially via our Ultra Box, but of course fans get to enjoy more than just the usual viewing experience, as we also have numerous on-ground events. Fans can meet international football legends like David James along with other international players and pundits, join viewing parties, meet-and-greets and other money-can’t-buy experiences,” shares the Liverpool fan.

Towards the end of our interview, Smith reveals why he became a Kopite when he was hospitalised for peritonitis. “The boy next to me was hit by a car, and was an avid Liverpool fan shared with me his love for Liverpool. Then we watched them lose the FA Cup final to Manchester United and he was in tears. So I said, ‘It’s okay, don’t be sad, I’ll be a Liverpool fan.'"

The indoctrination trickled down to his own family member. “If you ask my son why he’s a fan, he’d say, ‘I had a choice back then—I could be a Liverpool fan, or I could go live somewhere else,'" Smith laughs.

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