Star TV ends ties with Indovision
Star TV ends ties with Indovision
JAKARTA (JP): Hong Kong-based Star TV has decided to stop its
cooperation with Indovision, which is managed by PT Matahari
Lintas Cakrawala, in the marketing, distribution and technical
operation of a satellite subscription TV platform in Indonesia.
"We decided to terminate the cooperation because we could not
come to an agreement with PT Datakom Asia, which owns PT Matahari
Lintas Cakrawala, on a satisfactory way to move forward with our
alliance," Bruce Churchill, deputy chief executive officer of
Star TV, said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post
on Thursday.
With the termination of the cooperation, Star TV, whose
network offers both subscription and free-to-air television
services in Asia and the Middle East, will also stop 11 channels
of programming to the platform as of Friday, he said.
Star TV's programs are served from AsiaSat 1, AsiaSat 2 and
Palapa C2 satellites.
"Star TV has made every effort to make the alliance with
Datakom work. We have been working with Datakom for the past
three years to help build an important segment of the Indonesian
broadcasting industry. Enormous investment has been made by Star
TV both in terms of funds, time and professional and technical
expertise," he said.
Eddi Elison, public affairs manager of Datakom, said, however,
that the termination of the cooperation with Star TV would not
affect Indovision's services to its customers whatsoever.
The programs taken out of the services by Star TV included
Star World, Star Movies, Star Sports, Fox News and Phoenix
Movies, Eddi told the Post.
"Indovision will replace them with new programs, including
AXN, Animal Planet (documentary/science), I Music, Jet TV
(Mandarin), CCTV-4, RAI, TV5 MCM, Sony Entertainment and ART," he
said.
Eddi added that other channels, including HBO, ESPN, Cinemax,
Hall Mark, TNT Cartoons Network and Discovery, will remain
accessible.
The withdrawal by Star TV, he said, was caused mainly by a
dispute over Datakom's plan to move its transmission from Palapa
C2 to its own Cakrawarta I satellite, which was launched into
orbit on Nov. 11, 1997.
"But basically Star TV's withdrawal is closely related to the
present uncertain economic and political conditions in
Indonesia," he said.
Churchill said, "Even though we finally decided to split with
Datakom, Star TV and its parent company, News Corporation, remain
committed to the Indonesian market. We are prepared to continue
investment in the Indonesian broadcasting industry." (hhr)