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KUALA LUMPUR – Astro welcomes Nicholas John as its new vice president and head of sports reporting to director of content Agnes Rozario following Lee Choong Khay’s announcement to undertake a new regional senior position.
Nick joined Astro from ESPN Star Sports in 2010 as a senior sports producer intent on raising the bar for Astro’s sports production and successfully activated Astro’s premium football experience to be on par with the global best.
As a result of his strong relationship with local sporting bodies and production acumen, Nick was recently promoted as head of Astro Arena, the first local sports channel in the region.
A firm believer in developing local talent − both on-screen and off − Nick is committed to growing and developing the sports community by working with athletes, such as world champion bowler Syaidatul Afifah and 2-time SEA Games netball gold medalist Fariha Razak, who joined Astro Arena’s stable of ex-national athletes leading on-air coverage and content on Astro Arena.
Nick also initiated and spearheaded the launch of Astro Arena 2 − targeted at increasing the relevance of Astro’s sports coverage to younger sports enthusiasts − in addition to providing local coverage for international sports events.
He has also developed new content IPs, such as the hugely-popular “Borak-Borak Botak”, “Berbulu Dengan Burn” and “Bola Itu Life”, which resulted in record-breaking TV and digital viewership of UEFA Euro 2020 on Astro Arena.
His latest addition to Astro Arena 2 is “Jangan Kanjiong”, which is headlined by former world number one shuttler and star Tan Boon Heong, whose badminton commentary during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games made waves on social media, leading to high viewership on TV and positive digital engagement amongst millennials.
Astro thanks CK for making them the home of sports
Choong Khay − popularly known as CK − joined Astro in 1997 and under his leadership, Astro SuperSport and Astro Arena became synonymous with sports channel brands that deliver the best and most comprehensive global and local sports coverage, enhanced with immersive viewing experience in 4K High Dynamic Range with Dolby Atmos for UEFA EURO 2020 and Astro GO’s new Interactive Mode feature.
Understanding the growing relevance of esports, CK developed and spearheaded the launch of eGG Network in 2016 – the first regional dedicated esports channel, which is now in eight countries.
Henry Tan, Group CEO of Astro said: “We are extremely proud of CK and grateful for his achievements in raising the bar for sports and talent and wish him all the best as he moves on to a regional role. CK has mentored and worked with Nick for over ten years and Astro is confident that Nick will continue to put Astro at the forefront of sports content.”
2022 promises to be another epic year for sports and Astro looks forward to delighting Malaysian sports fans and customers with their comprehensive coverage. – The Vibes, November 16, 2021
