BSkyB hits 10 million customer target

Pay-TV company BSkyB, a bid target for News Corp, said today it had hit its long-held aim of 10 million customers, making it the choice of 36 percent of households in the UK and Ireland.

By The Newsroom

Published 8th Nov 2010, 08:48 BST

BSkyB, which provides pay-TV, broadband and telephony, set the target in 2004, to initial scepticism from analysts who thought it would be too tough.

"To be the choice of 10 million families is a big achievement for the whole team at Sky," Chief Executive Jeremy Darroch said in a statement.

"Sky has always been a forward-looking company and we will push on from here by continuing to invest in content and innovation. That's the best way to satisfy existing customers and create new reasons for people to join in and take more from us."

BSkyB is in the middle of a possible takeover after its major shareholder News Corp offered to buy the 61 per cent of the company it does not already own.

British communications regulator Ofcom last week invited comments on the proposed acquisition by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp as it examines whether the proposed 7.8bn takeover would be against the British public interest.