BSkyB reaches high definition landmarks

LIVING HD launches today on Sky, meaning that BSkyB (LSE:BSY) has now confirmed all 50 High Definition (HD) channels that will be available by Christmas, in line with its promise to customers. Good Food HD launched earlier this week, and HD channels including Eden HD, ITV 2 HD, ITV 3 HD and ITV 4 HD will follow Living HD, which becomes the 46th HD channel on the Sky platform. More HD channels will be announced in the coming months.

The announcement coincides with the news that Sky has now attracted more than three million HD subscribers, meaning that today over 30% of customers chose to pay for our best viewing experience. In the three months ending 30th June , Sky increased its HD customer base by 429,000, bringing twelve month cumulative growth to 1.6 million. LIVING HD joins the UK’s largest collection of HD channels, and cements Sky’s reputation as the leader in HD viewing, offering 19 more HD channels than any other TV platform.

Upcoming highlights on LIVING HD include the current series of Britain’s Next Top Model, presented by Elle Macpherson, which concludes with the first ever live final on 4th October. Also launching on LIVING HD in October are brand-new US drama Nikita, and Four Weddings spin-off Party Wars. They join the existing LIVING line-up, which includes CSI: Miami, CSI: Vegas, Ghost Whisperer, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Criminal Minds, Medium, and Supernatural – all in glossy, pin-sharp HD.

Sky+ HD has grown at a rapid pace since it launched, both in terms of the number of subscribers as well as the amount of viewing sessions. In June of this year, there were over 200 million HD content views, a more than threefold increase on the same month in 2009.

Sky+ HD boxes – which are offered for free to customers when they sign up for Sky TV and the Sky+ HD pack for the first time – are also 3D ready. This means that, with a compatible television, Sky World HD customers will be able to receive 3D television, when Sky 3D, Europe’s first dedicated 3D channel, launches on 1st October. Later this year Sky will also launch Sky Anytime+, a comprehensive video-on-demand service which uses the broadband connectivity of the HD box.

Sophie Turner Laing, Sky’s MD of Entertainment, News and Broadcast Operations, comments:

“Sky recognised the potential of HD early and we are delighted it has grown into something which our customers utterly love and now demand as standard. Adding LIVING HD to our great range of high-quality HD channels only adds to the choice that more than three million homes enjoy. In maintaining our leadership, we look forward to offering our customers even more choice of HD as well as new innovations such as Sky 3D and Anytime+. With so much brilliant content coupled with ground breaking innovation, it’s no wonder that we’ve seen such strong growth in HD.”

Jonathan Webb, Managing Director, Living TV Group, comments:

“LIVING is home to some of the glossiest UK and US programmes on television, and they deserve to be seen in their pin-sharp HD glory. With so much great content still to come in 2010 and into 2011, we’re delighted to be bringing LIVING HD to Sky’s three million subscribers.”