Advanced Television

Sky Deutschland adds 73,000 subs

May 15, 2012

Sky Deutschland has reported its first-quarter operating loss improved to €40.6 million. The company added 73,000 new subscribers at the end of March, slightly better than forecast. The pay-TV broadcaster increased first quarter revenues by 18 per cent to €318 million.

“Germany and Austria are amongst the highest potential markets for pay-TV across Europe, and the acceleration of demand across our full product range … underline the strong momentum in the business,” commented Chief Executive Brian Sullivan.

The company said it still expects this year’s EBITDA to be significantly better than last year’s, while 2013 EBITDA is expected to be positive, and to continue to grow strongly.

Sky Deutschland beat Deutsche Telekom last month to retain the rights to German league football paying €485.7 million per season .

Sky Deutschland has made significant inroads with its value-added services. The German pay TV operator has announced subscriber growth for its HD and DVR services, while use of its multiscreen platform has also increased. Sky D ended the first quarter with 508,000 Sky Plus DVR customers, up from 81,000 a year earlier, while Premium HD customers increased from 664,000 to 1.017 million.

Sky’s multiscreen service Sky Go has grown in popularity, with 6.231 million viewer sessions during the quarter, compared with 4.562 million a year earlier.

Overall, Sky attracted 360,000 new customers in the 12 months ending March 31. It ended the quarter with a total of 3.866 million.

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