Broadband News

Sky Broadband tops 1.428 million

Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Digital TV giant Sky added 229,000 broadband customers in the first three months of the year, bringing its total to 1,428,000 according to its third quarter results released today (30-04-08).

The company’s broadband results, and a further 180,000 additions to its Sky Talk service - to a total of 1.1 million - helped maintain its position as the UK’s fastest growing broadband and home phone provider.

Sky (www.Sky.com) now has a total customer base of 8.9 million - covering digital TV, broadband and home phone and is on track to reach its 10 million target by 2010.

As well as reporting healthy additions, Sky also managed to reduce overall churn - the rate at which customers leave the company - to a four year low of only 10.5 per cent.

Jeremy Darroch, chief executive, said that the company was on-target “despite a difficult consumer environment”.

“We are reporting a strong set of results today. We are delivering for customers through a combination of great quality, value and service. As a result, more customers are choosing Sky, they are more satisfied and they are taking more products than ever before,” he said.

He added that more than half of Sky customers now bundle more than one service from the company, though less than 1 in 10 took the triple-play TV, broadband and telephone combination.

Around 88 per cent of broadband customers are now on Sky Broadband’s own local loop unbundled (LLU) network, with around two-thirds taking one of the paid-for Mid or Max broadband options.

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “The £127 million that Sky has invested in its broadband and home phone services is clearly paying off.

“Sky Broadband performs well in our monthly speed test results and its See, Speak Surf bundles offer great value for money and the best digital TV on the market.”

Related article - Digital TV and broadband bundles.