Astro said the increased profit was due to reduced asset depreciations, lower finance costs, advertising and home shopping.

Revenue, it said, rose 2 per cent to RM1.36 billion in the quarter ended Jan 31.

Astro has a pay-TV penetration rate of 69 per of Malaysian households, which translates to 4.9 million subscribers, according to a report in the Nikkei Asian Review.

Astro Malaysia Group Chief Executive Rohana Rozhan was quoted as saying: “In an increasingly globally competitive marketplace, Astro remains focused on knowing our customers better, increasing customer reach, and strengthening our content pipeline.”

The report said the company had adapted well to the increasing digitisation of consumer lifestyles and that its mobile video platform Tribe, which was launched in Indonesia in March, would soon be launched in the Philippines following an agreement with local group Globe Telecoms in April.

The Nikkei report said Astro planned to launch a dedicated e-sports channel on all its platforms to take advantage of major sporting events such as the UEFA Euro 2016 football championship and the Rio Olympics.

It said Astro’s shares went up 0.36 per cent to RM2.76 at the close of trading yesterday.