U.K.: HD Remains Key Sky Driver


BSkyB said its lower price points on its proprietary HD cable set-top box were the primary reason for the DBS firm growing its HD subs list in the U.K. list by more than 425,000 (net growth) in the first quarter of 2010.

The Sky+ HD receiver is the core hardware/software tool Sky also plans to use for its planned 3DTV and HD VOD services set to launch in late 2010.

Sky said an "additional" 62,000 subs (presumably not in the HD realm) in the first quarter of the year brings the satellite firm's total sub base to about 9.8 million households. A little over a quarter of all those subs (2.51 million) receive HD channels.

Incidentally, a jump of 11 percent in Sky's rates in the past year or so has grown its "average revenue per customer" above the $760 level annually for the first time in Sky history.