Sky Reaches Long-Term Target Of 10 Million Customers

British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), the leading satellite TV broadcasting company in the United Kingdom, has announced that it has surpassed the 10-million-subscribers landmark with two months to spare before the end of this year.

The customer target was initially set in August 2004 by James Murdoch who was then the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BSkyB. The number of customers subscribed to various Sky services at that time was 7.4 million.

Since then, 2.6 million new customers have signed up to Sky. After adding a more-than-expected 96,000 subscribers in the first three months ending 30th of September of its financial year according to its latest quarterly financial results, there was never any doubt that Sky would break the 10-million barrier in 2010.

As things stand, British Sky Broadcasting now provides services to 36% of UK and Irish households, resulting in an estimated audience reach of 25 million people. The company’s stellar growth was built upon its securement of the then-exclusive English Premier League broadcast rights, which in turn attracted a loyal base of lucrative customers.

In recent years Sky has launched a variety of services to expand its customer base. On the TV front, the company was a pioneer in developing and offering high-definition and 3D content through its Sky HD and Sky 3D platforms. Now BSkyB delivers more high-definition channels and 3D content than any other TV broadcaster in the UK.

BSkyB revealed that approximately one-third of its subscribers have upgraded to various Sky HD packages to be enjoyed on their HDTV displays. Nearly a quarter have taken up broadband and home phone services to complement their TV subscriptions.

Sky is not resting on its laurels however. While pleased at the numbers, BSkyB’s chief executive Jeremy Darroch said that the company will continue to pour resources into content production and technological innovation not only to satisfy existing customers, but also to encourage new subscriptions and upgrades. Looking ahead, he listed a couple of internet targets for the future, such as keeping defection rate below 10%, and increasing average revenue per user (ARPU).