BSkyB tightens grip in Ireland

STaN · 13-05-2003 11:39am #1

British Sky Broadcasting is continuing to strengthen its position in the Irish market, according to figures published this morning.

The pay-TV group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, said that cable subscribers to its channels dropped to 604,000 from 610,000 in the year to March, but it appears that many of those subscribers switched to the company's digital service.

At 31 March, the company had 279,000 digital subscribers, up from 272,000 at the end of 2002 and up 20pc from 232,000 a year earlier.

The company's bid to increase its presence in Ireland was boosted after Irish TV channels RTE One, Network 2, TV3 and TG4 became available for the first time via a Sky TV digital dish last April.

The Government is trying to keep tabs on Sky and may seek changes in a European directive that allows the broadcaster to escape regulations in Ireland. Minister for Communications, Dermot Ahern, wants Sky to come under the control of the Commission for Communications Regulation, which would make it subject to price and quality controls.

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the 604,000 they talk about, i assume this is via some1 elses cable?

sceptre · 13-05-2003 12:29pm

Originally posted by STaN
the 604,000 they talk about, i assume this is via some1 elses cable?

Chorus & NTL customers. They all get Sky One so they're all Sky customers too. I presume that Sky also include those with an MMDS service as "cable" when they're totting up the figures

watty · 13-05-2003 12:53pm

Curiously Sky don't count "cancelled" subscribers, who unlike Ex-chorus / NTL subs will mostly still be using Satellite.

If we assume 10% churn then we have close to 330,000 Satellite house holds.

No one knows how many UK /NI digiboxes are here?

If we subtract Dublin City (most cabled bit of Ireland), then I suspect Sky is well ahead..

BSkyB tightens grip in Ireland

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