Sky Deutschland subscribers pass 3.5 million in 3Q 2013

Direct subscribers: up 76,000 to 3,529,000

UNTERFÖHRING — Sky Deutschland has announced its Q3 2013 results. The number of direct subscribers grew by 76,000 (Q3 2012: 79,900) to 3,529,000 customers (Q3 2012: 3,212,000) at the end of September. This was supported by gross additions of 185,100 (Q3 2012: 188,200), reflecting robust underlying demand levels when considering recent quality initiatives which include the ramp-down of Sky’s outbound telesales channel at the beginning of this year. Customer loyalty remains strong with a 12-month rolling churn rate of 11.8% (Q3 2012: 11.8%) and an improvement in the quarterly annualized churn rate to 12.5% (Q3 2012: 13.7%).

In addition, the number of wholesale subscribers increased by 155,800 in the quarter to 280,000 (Q3 2012: 125,900) as a result of the inclusion of Deutsche Telekom’s former Ligatotal IPTV and mobile customers. All customers of Deutsche Telekom’s former IPTV Ligatotal-package have the option of choosing a Sky direct package at any time, or to view the Sky Fußball Bundesliga as a stand-alone product on their existing terms up to 30 June 2014. After that date, they will need a direct Sky subscription to continue watching live matches of the Bundesliga.

Sky’s Premium HD offering saw continued strong demand, with the number of customers growing by 54,600 in the quarter to 1,751,600. The outstanding success of Sky’s comprehensive HD offering – which now includes up to 71 channels – is reflected in the Premium HD penetration: nearly half of all Sky customers (49.6% (Q3 2012: 41.6%)) now take the Premium HD package. When including those customers with free access to the Premium HD package, e.g. for the first year as part of a two-year contractual commitment, the quarter saw the Premium HD customer growth increasing to 109,100, with a total of 1,869,400 customers receiving Sky’s Premium HD channels.

Sky+ also generated strong demand with the number of Sky+ customers growing by 125,400 during the quarter to 1,296,000 (Q3 2012: 729,600). At the end of the quarter 36.7% of Sky customers enjoyed the great convenience of a Sky+ receiver in their home (Q3 2012: 22.7%). The on-demand capabilities of Sky+, which include Sky Anytime and personal recordings, make it easier for customers to watch great Sky content whenever they want. In addition, Sky+ customers churn less and are more satisfied.

Sky Zweitkarte (second smartcard) customers increased by 17,000 in the quarter to 410,000 (Q3 2012: 293,000). Year-on-year, the number of second smartcard customers rose by 40%, demonstrating that a growing number of families want to enjoy Sky’s great entertainment line-up in different rooms at the same time.

Sky Go is Germany and Austria’s largest over-the-top pay-TV service. With 18.1 million customer sessions in Q3 2013, an increase of 122% year-on-year, Sky Go has seen continual rapid growth. In 2013 alone, customers could enjoy more than 800 blockbuster films, over 1,000 series episodes including more than 90 complete season box sets, over 700 children’s programs, and over 3,000 live sport events. No other service in Germany and Austria can match this level of quality and exclusivity.

Subscriber development (‘000):

                                   Q3 13  Q2 13  Q1 13  Q4 12  Q3 12  Q2 12  Q1 12  Q4 11
                                   -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----
Direct subscribers at beginning    3,453  3,405  3,363  3,212  3,132  3,085  3,012  2,857
Gross additions                      185    131    137    260    188    124    155    246
Churn                               -109    -84    -95   -109   -108    -77    -82    -91
Net growth                            76     48     42    151     80     47     73    155
Direct subscribers at end          3,529  3,453  3,405  3,363  3,212  3,132  3,085  3,012

Premium HD subscribers
 at end of period                  1,752  1,697  1,613  1,514  1,337  1,172  1,071    974
 penetration rate (in %)            49.6   49.1   47.4   45.0   41.6   37.4   34.7   32.3

Sky+
 subscribers at end of period      1,296  1,171  1,065    929    730    584    508    411
 penetration rate (in %)            36.7   33.9   31.3   27.6   22.7   18.6   16.5   13.6