The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Posted: 21 Jun 2013 02:41 AM PDT

There are now even more reasons to stay home and watch television.

TELEVISION is fast becoming a one-stop entertainment centre for many people these days. Apart from the long list of shows available to viewers, you can also listen to music, play games and watch movies on your television set.

In some cases, you can even use your TV to surf the Internet and book a taxi!

Recognising this, Astro has added 11 new channels to its broadcast, and introduced five new package options for customers to choose from. Among the new channels are Maya, Hua Hee Dai, Quan Jia, HBO Family, HBO Signature and HBO Hits (all available in HD), as well as Comedy Central, WE tv, Lifetime, Star Vijay, and Raj TV. There are also two new sports channels added to the line-up.

Some of these channels have been up and running since March, with Lifetime being the most recent one to go live; Hua Hee Dai and Maya are the last to be launched on June 24. However, Astro has attained five more new channels which will kick off in the months to come.

"We are committed to providing the best viewing and customer experience to Astro's growing customer base with greater choice of content. Across our multiple products and services, we offer a breadth of content packages spanning multiple genres, which we believe appeal to all customer segments in the urban and rural areas," said Astro's chief commercial officer Liew Swee Lin, at the launch of the Astro Lifestyle Centre in Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur.

At the centre, new and existing customers would be able to get all the information they need about the new packages, and even have a glimpse of what each channel offers. Of course, you can also browse Astro's website, or call the hotline number. "We would like to ensure that our customers have a great experience with Astro at all touch points," added Liew.

Aside from the new additions, Astro has also pumped up its list of movies available via the Astro Best and Astro First services. In case you don't already know, these two channels allow viewers to "buy" the latest local, regional and even international movies and watch them in the comfort of their own home.

Customers can now watch local and regional blockbusters on Astro First two weeks after the movies open at the cinemas, like the recently-released Kil, Awie's Bikers Kental, Aaron Aziz's Lari and Get Together, a comedy from Taiwan. So, if you're a closet Awie fan and can't bring yourself to watch the really silly Bikers Kental (which also stars Zizan Razak) in public, you can now check it out via Astro First.

Meanwhile, those who are constantly busy and simply cannot find the time to head to the cinemas and watch movies can now enjoy them on TV via the Astro Best service. It's pretty convenient, and you can even hold your very own private movie viewing party at home, for example, and watch (in HD!) with friends or family members – you need to get your own popcorn and drinks, of course.

The movies featured on Astro Best are mostly Hollywood blockbusters that were released on the big screens about six months earlier; normally, it takes at least a year for these movies to go from cinema to TV. This is possible because of a partnership between Astro and studio giants like The Walt Disney Company and Lionsgate.

Among the latest movies that are currently on offer include the psychological thriller Side Effects starring Jude Law, Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum, fantasy drama Cloud Atlas, Warm Bodies, Beautiful Creatures and Disney's colourful Oz The Great And Powerful.

"The response for Astro First and Astro Best has been overwhelming, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak. To date, we have garnered a staggering 6.2 million buys of movie titles collectively," explained vice president of Astro Content Agnes Rozario, in a press release.

She also said that the company is working with more partners to expand its movie line-up.

For more information on these services, check out their Facebook page ("AstroWorldOfMovies") or visit www.astro.com.my.

New day for CNN

Posted: 21 Jun 2013 02:42 AM PDT

A new morning show on CNN – New Day – kicked off on Monday and there already are some sceptics out there, maybe even you. Here's your need-to-know column on CNN's latest.

What is new about New Day?

The anchors – former ABC correspondent Chris Cuomo, CNN correspondent Kate Bolduan and news anchor Michaela Pereira; a sprawling faux-brick studio space; a higher story count; more live "remotes".

What's New Day up against?

Pretty much everything. Morning TV is balkanised and viewer habits are largely entrenched. For most viewers, CNN first thing in the morning hasn't been an afterthought but no thought – about 250,000 to 275,000 viewers. (No.1 Good Morning America's average viewership for the week of June 3 was 5.33 million.)

What will the hosts bring?

A recent Washington Post profile on Bolduan (pronounced "Baldwin") hints at "a sunny older brother-younger sister act, a newsy Donny and Marie", which sounds off-putting, but the hosts are decidedly younger than competitors (at 29, Bolduan's a relative TV child) and youth could be an advantage here.

What does Cuomo, 42 – kid brother of New York's governor, Andrew – have to say about the challenge?

In a recent interview, this: "The hard truth is that we need CNN's audience. One of the first challenges is to stop the bleeding and to get (traditional CNN viewers to see the network) as a morning-to-night proposition and give the network a bulwark and a flagship in the morning ... . We need to get our own viewers to embrace what we have and then we grow from there. We have very reasonable expectations because of the history here, I'm convinced that there's so much going on in morning TV that everything is up for grabs."

Finally, what do I think?

This could work simply because any growth will be seen as a victory. Plus, Cuomo is right to an extent: Today's recent string of mistakes has indeed stirred the migratory habits of some morning viewers. Finally, if the anchor chemistry is decent – not cloying, or forced, or predicated on babble – and if the real news story count is high, New Day has a fighting chance. – Newsday/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Khamis, 20 Jun 2013