While Astro is preparing to drop a lot of its major broadcasts from Disney from its list, it is also preparing to add a ton of new English-language channels to its lineup, bringing you more movies and TV shows from the US and UK. Keep in mind that the availability of some of these new channels depends on what Astro pack you’re subscribed to.
For linear channels, SHOWCASE MOVIES seems to be the biggest addition with a slew of movies from the content libraries of Disney and FOX. New channels Paramount Network and PRIMEtime give you access to popular TV shows, ranging from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to Keeping Up with the Kardashians, as well as The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and much much more.
They’re also adding two new HBO channels; HBO Hits has some of the biggest blockbuster films and some of the newer HBO Max movies; HBO Family provides kid-friendly content so the whole family can enjoy these films. Astro isn’t forgetting the ladies as the new female-focused Lifetime channel carries a bunch of original Lifetime romance films.
Those craving British content will be pleased to know that four new BBC channels are coming your way. There’s BBC Lifestyle which has a rich lineup of reality programs, most of which are cooking-related. Then there’s BBC Earth which showcases beautiful nature documentaries. The other two channels are On-Demand, containing British drama series on BBC First and British variety shows like Top Gear on BBC Brit.
Sports fans are getting three new channels covering an array of sports from all over the world, starting from 1 October; the UFC and Formula 1 on Astro SuperSport 5; MotoGP, Wimbledon, and the US Open on SPOTV; and Astro Arena 2 provides local sports coverage and live studio presentations for WWE and BWF.
This major addition comes as Disney is pulling out several channels from Astro including FOX, FOX Life, FX, FOX Movies, FOX Action Movies, FOX Family Movies, FOX Sports, FOX Sports 2, FOX Sports 3, and Nat Geo People. After 30 September, all these channels, as well as Discovery Science and Hello channels, will cease broadcasting.
All the new entertainment linear channels are launching today while the two On-Demand BBC channels will only be available starting 15 October. To that end, Astro also recently began beefing up its offers, lining up streaming partners and giving subscribers free access to apps like TVBAnywhere+, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, iQIYI, and HBO Go.
(Source: Astro)
