On Monday Astro Malaysia removed BBC Entertainment from Channel 731. It was replaced with Bio. Astro describes Bio, and I quote "Bio is a world class, award winning documentary channel with a unique offering in biographical content. It is a compelling genre which offers
exclusive window into the lives of ordinary people with extraordinary stories. The Bio Channel was added to the Metro Package to offer customers more choice and variety and not intended as a direct replacement to BBCE".

There are a number of questions to be raised by their first ludicrous statement.

1. Unique offering in biographical content. A compelling genre that offers an exclusive insight into the lives of ordinary people with extraordinary stories.

Well hello? That sounds strangely familiar. Let me have scan through the channels.

Discovery Home and Health
Travel & Living
Asian Food Channel
E Channel

Mmmm,more than enough insights into the lives of little people, mother with 20 offspring etc. etc. Do we really need to top that up with "Asia Street Peddlars", "Makeover Mama's 22" and an insight into people with obsessive compulsive disorders.

So Astro's justification and again I quote "The Bio Channel was added to the Metro Package to offer customers more choice and variety" seems rather outlandish if not a load of old b&*%#$.

Their next quote is even more proposterous "We are committed to provide an offering to meet the needs of those who wish to enjoy the best of British Entertainment"

Well excuse me sir, how does removing the only British entertainment channel from their channel package support their honourable mission statement?

Do they understand the difference between "Friends", "According to Jim" and "90210" and "New Street Law", "Spooks" and "Judge John Deeds"?

Maybe their genius's on their programme selection panel believe that because its all in English it must be the same?

I would personally be very interested to know what is the difference in cost between Bio and BBCE. Now by my reasoning, as we BBCE viewers are in such a minority then it to me seems quite fair that they subtract the saving they made between BBCE and Bio and refund the difference only to those BBCE viewers. I would be quite confident that if this was done that we would have free "Makeover Mamas" for the next 50 years and we could happily sit and coo and drewl over Makeover Mamas 5472.

Now sometimes its not easy to stand up and be counted. Especially when some of us may be guests in this country that I can confidentally say we all love and enjoy being here. However societies are built of preservation of rights. It is our right and in fact our duty to take some kind of action. I currently pay (stupidly) around 800 RM per month to cater for my families varied viewing tastes. I could easily reduce that to 200 RM and still keep my family happy. If everyone reduces their subscriptions down, I am sure it will not harm Astro but they might just sit up and take notice.

Come on Astro is time to live my your moto or its time to change it. Reading "We Care" at the start of an email just does not wash.

I would hope that people who do not have any interest in BBC Entertainment also join this pertition. It is unfair for Astro to remove as premium channel and replace with a poor quality one and not reduce their subscription rate. Today it may only be BBC Entertainment removed but tomorrow it could be a channel that you like to watch.