Sky Sports service available on digital only

NTL has informed thousands of Sky Sports subscribers they will be unable to receive the service via analogue television in the future and must switch to the firm's digital platform instead.

The change means the monthly charge for subscribers will rise by 5.10 to 49. Subscribers will also have to pay a once-off 65 installation fee but, if they switch before April 30th, the fee is halved.

NTL said the analogue service would be phased out during the year but declined to give a precise date. The company also refused to disclose the number of Sky Sports subscribers who might be affected by the change.

However, research from AC Nielsen indicates that almost 20 per cent of the Republic's population receive at least one Sky Sports channel, although NTL does not supply all of this group.

ComReg, which regulates cable operators, said last night it had no control over the prices for premium services such as Sky Sports, whether they were on analogue or digital platforms.

"It is simply a commercial decision by the company," said a spokeswoman.

NTL said that, while the change would create an inconvenience for some people, customers who switched to digital would benefit from improved picture and sound quality, an interactive programming guide and an option to subscribe to 12 movie channels in a digital movie pack.

Countries throughout Europe and the United States are moving away from analogue because of its limited capacity.

For every one channel on analogue, digital can provide at least seven channels.

To receive digital television, the only item needed in a customer's home is a digital set-top box.

NTL is Sky Digital's main competitor in the million-strong Dublin market, with both companies fighting hard to get consumers to switch to their digital services.

Despite this, NTL carries some Sky services, among them Sky One and Sky News, as part of its basic offering.

Sky Digital has been growing strongly in the past year, although the absence of channels such as Channel 4 from its package has limited its appeal to an extent.

However, it hopes a new product, Sky+, a type of personal video recorder that allows viewers to freeze live television pictures, will boost sales of the product.