Malaysia's pay-TV group Astro awarded only $1m in dispute against Indonesia's Lippo conglomerate

A Singapore Appeals Court has lowered to less than $1 million (€741,400) the financial award made to Malaysia’s Astro broadcaster against Indonesia’s Lippo conglomerate over a failed pay-TV venture, on the 01/11/2013. Singapore's High Court upheld a $250 million arbitration award to Astro, on the 23/10/2012.

The two companies set up a pay-TV joint venture in 2005, but it ended in 2008 when Astro claimed that Lippo’s First Media had failed to pay its share.

Since then Astro, which is the dominant pay-TV group in Malaysia, has taken legal action in the U.K., Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The judgment of the Court of Appeal, which is final and binding, ruled that the lower court had overstepped its authority and wrongly allowed other Astro affiliates to join the legal action.

Astro holds the broadcast rights in Malaysia to Euro 2016, the European qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, and the English Premier League.

 1/2

Astro Malaysia…