[Satellite Today – 2-13-08] DirecTV Group Inc. increased revenues in the fourth quarter 17 percent, the company announced Feb. 13.
    Revenues for the quarter ending Dec. 31 increased 17 percent to $4.88 billion, operating profit before depreciation and amortization (OPBDA) increased 21 percent to $1.10 billion and operating profit increased 4 percent to $617 million compared to last year’s fourth quarter.
    The DirecTV Group reported that fourth quarter net income of $348 million declined 2 percent.
    “Advanced services — including the launch of the industry’s best HD programming — played an increasingly important role in DirecTV U.S.’s top-line and bottom-line results," said Chase Carey, president and CEO of The DirecTV Group, Inc. "This reduction in monthly churn was largely due to the significant growth in customers with HD and DVR services — increasing from about 30 percent of our subscriber base last year to over 40 percent this year — as well as tighter credit policies. The continued strong subscriber growth coupled with an 8.3 percent increase in ARPU drove revenues up 14 percent to $4.38 billion.” 
    For the year, DirecTV revenues increased 17 percent to $17.2 billion. Carey said the increase was due to strong ARPU and subscriber growth at DirecTV U.S. and DirecTV Latin America, as well as the consolidation of Sky Brazil‘s financial results subsequent to the merger with DirecTV Brazil in August 2006.