The analysts and number-crunchers have looked at Sky Deutschland’s numbers and the consensus is overwhelmingly that the pay-TV broadcaster is pressing all the right buttons. Investment bankers Morgan Stanley comments are typical, saying the results (issued August 14th) “demonstrated growing consumer acceptance of pay TV in Germany with good growth in core pay TV and strong take up of Sky Plus, HD , Sky Go and Multiroom. The market opportunity is substantial; Sky-D has the Bundesliga rights for the next five years and is well positioned.”

The bank’s report to clients continues: “Encouragingly, take up of ancillary products remains strong, suggesting further evidence of greater acceptance of pay TV in the German market. HD additions were 101’000 , and it is now taken by 37 per cent of Sky-D customers. Sky Plus customers reached 584’000 – up 403 per cent on last year. Multiroom is now at 248’000 (up from 93.500 in Q2 2011) and SkyGo log ins were 6.9 million, versus 1.3 million in the equivalent period. The cable operators are also seeing good trends in pay TV.”

Morgan Stanley reckons that by the end of 2017 Sky Deutschland could have 4.8 million subscribers. Add in the HD, multiroom, SkyGo and other ancillary revenues and Rupert Murdoch’s German investment could be paying off handsomely.

Other posts by Chris Forrester:

1. Rivada visits Terran Orbital’s manufacturing HQ
2. Avanti wins spectrum debt obligation case
3. SpaceX breaks records for re-use launchers
4. IRIS2 already in trouble?
5. Intelsat contemplates next steps
6. SpaceX: 2.7m customers and $180bn value
7. Boeing, Virgin Galactic in court battle
8. Jupiter-3 a changemaker
9. Terran Orbital is again Compliant

Categories: Blogs, Inside Satellite