BSkyB dishes up 83,000 new customers

BSKYB, the satellite broadcaster and media group, said today it added 83,000 net new customers to its pay-TV service in the first quarter.

However, its adjusted operating profit was lower than expected due to increased programming and broadband costs.

Adjusted operating profit - which included £51 million of investment in Sky Broadband and Talk - was £150m, down from £183m in the first quarter last year, although churn, or the percentage of customers who dropped their subscription, was slightly better than expected at 11.3 per cent. Revenues were up 11 per cent to £1.18 billion, BSkyB said.

Analysts had been expecting adjusted operating profit of £166m, revenues of £1.17bn, net additions of 81,000 and churn of 11.7 per cent, according to a Reuters poll of 11 analysts.