SINGAPORE - The authorities have fined Singtel $90,000 for a pay-TV disruption earlier this year that affected 11,000 pay-TV subscribers.

The two-hour disruption, its second in two years, started at about 10pm on Feb 3. Those affected were unable to boot up their set-top boxes or access on-demand content, the Media Development Authority said in a statement after the market closed on Tuesday (July 28).

Investigations revealed that Singtel was first alerted to the screen-freeze, caused by hardware failure, by customers calling its hotline.

The biggest penalty ever meted out by the regulator was $220,000 for a nine-hour disruption on May 15, 2013. That was four days before the final day of the English Premier League (EPL) season that year. About 26,000 pay-TV subscribers could not start up their set-top boxes owing to a glitch.

It was previously fined $180,000 for a pay-TV breakdown on May 13, 2012, and $80,000 for two disruptions in October and November 2011.