[Satellite Today 07-31-09] BSkyB has hit a five-year annual subscriber net growth high in 2009, according to its full-year results, released July 30.
    The U.K. operator expanded its customer base by 124,000 subscribers in its fourth quarter, which closed at the end of June, to reach 9.4 million total subscribers — a growth of 462,000 net subscribers for the year.
    BskyB reported that 1.3 million of its customer base subscribes to high-definition (HD) services, with about 530,000 customers adding subscribing to the offer in the first six months of 2009. Approximately 16 percent of its customer base receive BskyB’s triple-play package of voice, video and data.
    Daniel Kerven, a media equity analyst at UBS hailed the results. “While expectations were high going into the results, key operational metrics were well ahead of even the top of the range forecast," he said in a July 30 research note. "Net adds were 124,000 in [the fourth quarter] versus a consensus of 90,000, and Sky delivered the strongest full-year growth (465,000 net adds) for five years despite economic headwinds — testimony to its structural growth..”