Marketing drives Sky’s “strong” growth
BSkyB says its Christmas marketing blitz helped add 172,000 net new customers in the second quarter of its financial year.
The pay-TV company says its customer base grew to 9.7 million as its high definition service pulled in 482,000 new customers in the three months to 31 December.
Demand for its HD service helped drive a “strong” first half of its financial year, it says.Total revenue increased 10% to £2.9bn in the six months to end of 2009.
In a financial statement, BSkyB says the “record” growth in demand for its Sky+HD service in the second quarter was driven by its Christmas marketing campaign.
The heavy festive marketing schedule helped push marketing spend up by a 22% to £540m in the six months to the end of the 2010.
The company says it enters 2010 in a “good position”, adding it will continue to focus on product innovation.
The broadcaster says it will start selling HD-enabled boxes as standard from today (28 January) with customers receiving the box for free when they subscribe to Sky’s HD pack of channels.
It adds it will offer the UK’s first live public broadcast in 3D this weekend (30 January) ans is “on track” to launchits dedicated 3D channel in the spring.
