BRITISH Sky Broadcasting, the country's leading pay television operator reported a 66 per cent rise in full year profit to £257.4 million sterling yesterday. The satellite broadcaster said its annual turnover grew by 30 per cent to top £1 billion for the first time.
The pay television network, in which Mr Rupert Murdoch's News Corp has a 40 per cent stake, increased its subscriber base by 900.000 to a total of 5.5 million in Britain and Ireland.
Profit for the year to June 30th, 1996 - up more than £100 million on the £155.3 million reported a year ago - was towards the top end of analysts' forecasts.
It has developed into a business valued at £9 billion since its formation through the merger of rival companies BSB and Sky in 1990.
The chief executive, Mr Sam Chisholm, is now planning to put the company at the heart of the digital revolution. Digital technology will multiply the number of channels and permit the introduction of interactive services such as home shopping.
BSkyB plans to launch a British digital television service late next year. It is also expanding into Germany, Europe's largest market with 32 million television households.
Last month it signed a deal with the group headed by the Bavarian media mogul, Mr Leo Kirch, under which it will take a stake of 49 per cent in DF1, Germany's first digital service.
BSkyB said it was still likely to take a stake in a German pay television channel, Premiere, a joint venture between Mr Kirch, fellow German media company Bertelsmann and Canal Plus of France.
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