Sky subscribers up to 6.3m

Headlining Sky's first quarter results yesterday was the news of a rise in subscriptions to its digital service by 217,000, taking the total figure to 6,318,000. Naturally, the company is optimistic of meeting, and most likely surpassing, its 7m target for fifteen months' time.

The results were mainly good news all round, with digital churn falling from 10.5% to 9.6%, the lowest level since the launch of the service in October 1998. The ARPU figure, measuring the average amount a subscriber spends using the service and its various extra offerings, stood at £348. The company maintained that it was "firmly on track" for its £400 target in 2005.

Subscriptions to Sky's PVR product, Sky +, increased by 37% in the three-month period, taking the total to 38,000. There were 75,000 subscribers to the extra digibox offer, up 41% on the previous quarter.

The company's pre-tax profit was £14m, against a loss of £89m at the same stage last year. Total revenues were up 13% to £726m, incorporating a 23% rise in DTH revenues (£538m). Interactive revenues were down on the same stage last year, however, with a decline of £3m to £44m.