Liverpool help Sky boost viewing figures

Sky can point to a sharp rise in football viewing this season with average audiences up 7 per cent year on year despite the challenge from BT.   This is thanks in part to the success of Liverpool, a favourite among neutrals, who have also played some attractive football.   A down to the wire title race also helped.   A rise in overall customers, up 74,000 from January to March, beat analysts’ expectations.

Sky can point to a sharp rise in football viewing this season with average audiences up 7 per cent year on year despite the challenge from BT.   This is thanks in part to the success of Liverpool, a favourite among neutrals, who have also played some attractive football.   A down to the wire title race also helped.   A rise in overall customers, up 74,000 from January to March, beat analysts’ expectations.

Even so, Sky’s shares have not recovered since BT’s November victory in the auction for its Champions League matches.   For its part BT has seen its share of broadband customers increase from about half to three-quarters in the latest set of results.

Attention now turns to the next auction of Premier League broadcasting rights.   If BT wants the trophy games of Saturday teatime or Sunday afternoon, which attract higher ratings, it could mean an expensive bidding war.    Premiership clubs would then become even richer.