Satellite broadcaster BSkyB published results this week which showed it had a strong quarter, adding 90,000 net new customers to bring its subscriber base in the UK and the Republic to almost 8.6 million at the end of June.
No breakdown was given for the Republic - that won't be provided until July 27th, when full-year figures are released. The expectation is that Sky Ireland will have closed out its financial year just shy of the magical 500,000 mark.
On May 2nd, Sky said it had 484,000 customers in the Republic and it is believed to be adding about 1,200 new connections each week.
It's a strong performance and one that won't have gone unnoticed at UPC Ireland, which owns the NTL and Chorus cable television operations. UPC has 594,000 TV customers, of whom 210,000 take its digital offering.
It is busily trying to persuade its analogue customers to make the switch to digital and is said to be just weeks away from launching its digital video recorder.
The DVR will rival Sky+ and allow viewers to record up to 80 hours of programmes on to their set-top boxes.
Are there 80 hours of TV worth taping? We remain to be convinced, but it should add some spice to the battle between Sky and UPC as they gear up for the crucial Christmas market.
