Not much ado about Kristal-Astro TV rate increase
Thursday, July 26, 2007
THE announced increase on subscription rates for Kristal-Astro packages has drawn mixed public reactions.
"If the prices go up, I'd like to know what the extra charges are for," said one heavy Kristal-Astro user. "If it's a case of normal inflation, then there's nothing we can do about it."
Kristal-Astro subscribers were recently notified that they would be forking out an extra $5, effective August 1 of this year, on three of the service's packages. Customers who have already paid in advance for three, six and 12 months will only be subject to the new pricing after their subscriptions have expired.
Another user said that she did not really mind, as she does not pay for the monthly rates, and seemed to think the hike in charges was negligible.
"(Kristal-Astro) has added a lot more channels, and it's only a $5 increase ... I just hope they improve their services, especially when it rains. This would justify the price increase."
An IT professional who seldom watches television thought the price increase was inevitable.
"I guess that's fair since they've added more channels," she said. "If the increase is actually due to the additional channels added, then maybe they should ask the customers first before they increase the prices, so people have a choice."
Kristal-Astro's general manager, Matnarudin Ibrahim, attributed the price revision to escalating programming costs.
"We have maintained our prices over the past five years even though our costs, especially broadcast rights for football and other sporting events, increased significantly during the same period," he said.
The Brunei Times
"If the prices go up, I'd like to know what the extra charges are for," said one heavy Kristal-Astro user. "If it's a case of normal inflation, then there's nothing we can do about it."
Kristal-Astro subscribers were recently notified that they would be forking out an extra $5, effective August 1 of this year, on three of the service's packages. Customers who have already paid in advance for three, six and 12 months will only be subject to the new pricing after their subscriptions have expired.
Another user said that she did not really mind, as she does not pay for the monthly rates, and seemed to think the hike in charges was negligible.
"(Kristal-Astro) has added a lot more channels, and it's only a $5 increase ... I just hope they improve their services, especially when it rains. This would justify the price increase."
An IT professional who seldom watches television thought the price increase was inevitable.
"I guess that's fair since they've added more channels," she said. "If the increase is actually due to the additional channels added, then maybe they should ask the customers first before they increase the prices, so people have a choice."
Kristal-Astro's general manager, Matnarudin Ibrahim, attributed the price revision to escalating programming costs.
"We have maintained our prices over the past five years even though our costs, especially broadcast rights for football and other sporting events, increased significantly during the same period," he said.
The Brunei Times
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