In Malaysia, eating out in restaurants and watching TV dominate the lives of Malaysians with 95% of Malaysians eating out weekly, and watching TV while dining-in. Of interest to F&B owners, customers stay much longer during peak sports season; up to 86% of customers in bar, bistro and pub give their full attention to live sports and stay twice as long, up to 4 hours; while in Indian Muslim and Indian restaurants, up to 77% of customers are glued to live sports and stay twice as long, up to 2 hours.

This insight as revealed by Kantar, a global leader in data, insights, and consulting services, in its survey “Malaysian Consumer Behaviour on Out of Home Consumption & Opportunities” provides valuable perspectives on consumer behavior and market trends.

Tai Kam Leong, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of Astro said, "The insight from Kantar affirms that F&B outlets with Astro’s entertainment service can boost business revenue and profitability as more customers stay longer while dining in. Sports contents are successful in capturing consumers' attention the most. Key sporting events like Liga Malaysia, World Cup and Premier League help in increasing not only footfalls from new customers but also repeat visits and more time spent at the outlet.”

“With these insights, Astro introduced the new BIZone pack for F&B outlets to further enhance and simplify its offering. With BIZone, all F&B outlets can offer 100% legal, high quality, and full range of live sports coverage to their patrons. The new pack offers significantly more value in terms of content for all F&B outlets, at an attractive entry price point, depending on different types of businesses and seating capacity. To further facilitate ease of doing business, BIZone’s contract period has been halved to 12 months, from 24 months in previous packages”, Tai added.





With BIZone, all F&B outlets, including the small and mid-sized ones, can leverage Astro’s full live sports coverage to take their business growth to the next level. The all-new, game-changing single pack for the F&B sector BIZone, aims to empower F&B businesses with a diverse range of entertainment options including a full suite of live sports coverage. The new pack boasts 15 sports channels, 25 non-sports channels, 8 free-to-air channels and offers fair and transparent pricing depending on different types of business and seating capacity.

According to a survey by Kantar, when the football league is in season, table with patrons in bars and pubs increased by 50% while for non-bars & F&B outlets, the impact is even greater at 58%.

Paromeeta Mathur Banerjee, General Manager, Country Head Insights Division, Kantar Malaysia, said, “Kantar’s survey shows that entertainment, especially live sports, can be considered as one of the key offerings by any F&B outlets, as it is what customers want the most. F&B outlets that provide Astro entertainment have a high reach, especially in the Klang Valley with an estimated unique customers reach of over 4.2 million. Live sports further amplify the impact and reach of F&B outlets in attracting customers and drawing them in to stay longer during each visit.”




In conjunction with the introduction of BIZone, Astro organised an industry talk “Beyond the Menu: Score with More Customers in 2024” for F&B clients. The session brought together esteemed panelists sharing their insights on market trends and strategic approaches that drive success for F&B businesses.

The panel included distinguished industry experts, Dato' Jawahar Ali, President of the Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (PRESMA) and Founder of Restoran Ali Maju Sdn Bhd; J. Govindasamy @ Suresh, President of Persatuan Pengusaha Restoran India (PRIMAS); Paromeeta Mathur Banerjee, General Manager, Country Head Insights Division, Kantar Malaysia, Tai Kam Leong, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer of Astro Malaysia, and Cynthia Seow, Director Customer Experience & Digital of Astro Malaysia.

F&B outlets that sign up for BIZone will stand a chance to be selected to host a Watch Party event worth up to RM100,000. Hosted by Astro, the Watch Party will take place at the winner’s establishment beginning March 2024 onwards. The party will feature various activities for walk-in customers, including an exclusive meet and greet session with local celebrities alongside international and local athletes; and complimentary meals and drinks. The winning establishment will also receive an advertising package, leveraging Astro’s media platforms. Terms and conditions apply.

AstroBiz Watch Party was introduced in 2023 to raise awareness and promote local F&B establishments with Astro’s live sports. To date, Astro has successfully hosted more than 20 watch parties for AstroBiz customers nationwide.

Click here for more information on BIZone and how to sign up.