StarHub to raise cable TV rates
Subscribers of StarHub's residential cable TV service will be paying $2 more (before GST) per monthly subscription from 1 Aug this year, regardless of how many channels they have signed up for.
The rate revision, which affects both existing and new subscribers, will help the second-biggest telecommunications firm in Singapore cope with rising content costs.
"We have managed to hold our prices for the last four years, but we are unable to continue absorbing the increased costs," said Iris Wee, StarHub's vice-president for home solutions and content.
Earlier this May, it was reported that StarHub's pay-TV revenue dipped 9.9 percent to S$91.6 million mainly due to the lower pricing and smaller subscriber base for the firm's sports programmes. Last year, StarHub lost the rights to broadcast the English Premier League to rival Singtel.
"We hope that our customers will understand our situation and support us so that we can continue to provide them with quality entertainment for their enjoyment," Wee added.
In the past few years, StarHub has added 15 channels for customers at no additional charge, including Animax, BBC Knowledge and Bloomberg Television. It also had event-based dedicated channels such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Youth Olympic Games.
StarHub currently carries about 170 channels over its cable TV platform.
