Universal Music Group's Kenny Ong joins Astro Radio as CEO

Astro has appointed Kenny Ong to lead Astro Radio as CEO and oversee its strategic direction, in particular, its brands and talent as well as drive radex growth. Ong (pictured) will also oversee Rocketfuel Entertainment which spearheads talent-driven digital content across the Group’s platforms.

Prior to joining Astro, Ong was MD in Malaysia and head of special projects, Southeast Asia at Universal Music Group for more than five years. Prior to that, he was country head, Malaysia and Singapore at Unilever Network for two years. According to his LinkedIn, he was also SVP, new markets and medical/health division at Takaful IKHLAS for more than two years. Other roles that Ong has helmed include VP, corporate strategic planning and development at CNI Holdings, and principal consultant at ICC Consultant Center.

Astro Radio and Rocketfuel were previously led by director Ramesh Sankey who took over the reins from Jake Abdullah in 2019. According to Sankey's LinkedIn, he left the company in March last year to join St. Mary's Cathedral Kuala Lumpur as chief operating officer.

For the third quarter of its 2021 financial year ended October 2020, Astro Radio reported a RM21.6 million dip in revenue as a result of the slow economic activity caused by the pandemic, compared to the same quarter last year. According to its financial statement, cost reduction measures were taken by management which helped reduce operating costs to mitigate the revenue impact.

Astro's overall group revenue for the quarter was RM1,107.0 million, dipping 8.9% against the corresponding quarter of RM1,215.4 million. The revenue mainly arose from a decrease in subscription and advertising revenue and offset by increase in merchandise sales. Advertising revenue for the period was RM127.2 million compared to RM166.7 million in the previous period.

A+M's Content 360 Week is back from 6 to 8 April this year! Super charge your content production, distribution and monetisation strategies by learning from brands such as NBA Asia, P&G, Malaysia Airlines, and Marriott International, among others. Sign uptoday!

Related articles:
Astro sees 59% jump in adex amidst pandemic-ridden year
The Smiley Company hands Astro Media Solutions exclusive rights in MY to put smiles on faces
Tesco MY ties up with Astro to give away free ad packages to SMEs
Opinion: eCommerce is a core business area all stakeholders need to commit to
Opinion: 7 factors to equalise the eCommerce playing field
Opinion: Should luxury brands be on SEA’s eCommerce marketplaces?