Press Release

Astro Kicks Live Streaming to Irdeto for FIFA World Cup 2010

Astro taps Irdeto and its technology partners to stream live and on-demand World Cup matches over PC and mobile devices, providing unrivaled access to the World’s most widely watched sporting event

CommunicAsia 2010, SINGAPORE – June 15, 2010: Irdeto, the global leader in securing and delivering premium content and digital assets, today announced Astro, Malaysia’s leading cross-media broadcaster and direct-to-home (DTH) satellite pay-TV operator, has selected the company’s content management solution to power the live streaming and on-demand broadband delivery of all 64 FIFA World Cup 2010 matches on the Astro B.yond Player. Additionally, Irdeto will power mobile access to live matches via Astro sister company Maxis, offering exclusive streaming of all matches, replays and highlights.

“Astro understands platforms in terms of TV, radio, online and other media; we understand our customers and their surrounding communities, their diversity and their trends. At the same time, Astro is unique because we’ve had the privilege of starting operations and growing within Malaysia. We target ‘best in class’ partnerships and strive for integration within our partner roadmaps, leveraging our regional expertise,” said Paul Dale, CTO of Astro. “Irdeto has undisputed leadership in delivering premium digital content over new broadband platforms worldwide, and we are happy to partner with them to take the World Cup experience far past traditional broadcast for Malaysians.”

As Astro’s “content hub” for the ingestion, preparation and delivery of all World Cup matches to new media services, Irdeto is working seamlessly with some of the best regarded technology and media partners in the world. Together with Akamai’s HD Network for live streaming in high definition and Microsoft Corp.’s customized player experience with Microsoft Silverlight and Microsoft PlayReady for content protection, Irdeto is supporting the first regional deployment of Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Smooth Streaming, an adaptive bitrate technology that detects a consumer's broadband data transfer rate in real time and adjusts the quality of a video stream for an uninterrupted, unparalleled user experience. The Akamai HD Network offers the largest video distribution capacity and unmatched global scale, and is optimized to help broadcasters increase audience engagement and expand revenues by complementing traditional mediums such as TV and DVD with the Internet. In addition, Conviva is providing real-time audience monitoring, analytics and reporting and EVS is delivering on-demand broadcast highlights and clip packages.

“Irdeto’s platform is an excellent example of how partners are utilizing Microsoft technologies to deliver innovative content seamlessly across multiple screens,” said Gabriele Di Piazza, managing director for the Media & Entertainment business in the Communications Sector at Microsoft. “By leveraging Microsoft Internet Information Services Smooth Streaming for the first time in Malaysia to improve video stream quality, football fans throughout the region will experience the World Cup like never before.”

“Astro is a true innovator in its approach to giving consumers access to content anywhere they want it, and our mission is to help Astro realize the many opportunities that accompany expanding into new business models,” said Bengt Jonsson, vice president of sales, Asia-Pacific for Irdeto. “Astro found we offer the technology to deliver on the promise of user experience while ensuring that new business models can thrive. Irdeto’s unique strength is our ability to package broadcast offerings for a broadband world, while understanding and augmenting the traditional broadcast business.”

Astro is making the bold move to offer valuable World Cup content free to all Malaysians rather than employing a typical subscriber-only strategy. By doing this, Astro hopes to attract new customers and, with Irdeto’s help, better understand the needs and experiences of Malaysian online users across the country. Astro also plans to use the information gathered during the World Cup to develop market-leading products and services for the future.

Added Jonsson: “We offer a unified product suite that enables companies to anticipate and deliver the dynamic, on-demand and personalized experiences that today’s consumers demand – our combination of online and broadcast knowledge makes us true experts today that are able to prepare companies for tomorrow’s media realities.”

About Astro

ASTRO ALL ASIA NETWORKS plc (AAAN) is the holding company for MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems Sdn Bhd, the sole operator of direct-to-home satellite pay television services in Malaysia under the "Astro" brand, and Airtime Management & Programming Sdn Bhd, the leading commercial radio broadcaster in Malaysia. Celestial Pictures Ltd, a subsidiary of AAAN in Hong Kong, owns and distributes the world's largest Chinese film library as well as operates the Celestial Movies Channel. Astro Entertainment Sdn Bhd produces and aggregates local content for distribution primarily in Malaysia and Indonesia but also increasing to other regional and international markets such as Singapore, Vietnam and the Middle East. AAAN also has investments in pay television and radio broadcasting in India. AAAN, which is listed on Bursa Malaysia, operates out of the All Asia Broadcast Centre, a fully-integrated digital broadcast and production complex in Kuala Lumpur.

About Irdeto

Irdeto is a trusted partner to many of the world’s leading content owners and distributors, device manufacturers and software companies, including Adobe, Skylink, Multichoice Africa and Televisión Cable Digital. Irdeto’s versatile solutions ensure unbound access to valuable digital assets and premium content through a combination of content security, conditional access, business support systems and content and digital rights management. Co-headquartered in Beijing and Amsterdam, Irdeto employs 850 people in 25 offices around the world and is a subsidiary of multinational media group Naspers (JSE: NPN).

For further information please contact:

Lei Liu
Senior Marketing Manager for Asia Pacific, Irdeto
+86 10 8527 6460
lei.liu@irdeto.com

Shirley Wong
Associate Account Director, The Hoffman Agency
+65 6238 1851
swong@hoffman.com

Dana Gulick
Account Supervisor, Racepoint Group
+1 908 763 2575
dgulick@racepointgroup.com