Record audience figures swing Sky Deutschland to profit

German pay TV platform Sky Deutschland said it reached record audience levels in Q1 2013, helping it to swing to a profit and record a 14% increase in revenues.

Over the course of the quarter, ended March 31, 2013, Sky Deutschland said its customer base grew by 42,100 to 3.4 million and claimed that more than 12 million unique viewers in Sky homes tuned in to its content.

Sky Premium HD customers were up 99,300 to 1.61 million, while Sky+ customers increased by 136,000 to 1.06 million. Sky also said that it recorded 15.2 million Sky Go customer sessions, up by 3.2 million over the quarter.

“Sky had a great start to 2013, with strong subscriber and product growth, record viewership, and a significant improvement in our financial performance, including a positive EBITDA result. We also continued to position the business for the long term, completing agreements with key content partners and major network operators, as well as concluding our new long-term financing structure,” said Brian Sullivan, CEO of Sky Deutschland (above).

For the quarter, the firm’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation came in at €5.8 million (US$7.6 million), compared to a loss of €40.6 million in the same quarter last year. Revenues reached €364 million, up from  €318.4 million last year.

In terms of future expansion, Sky is set to launch a new HD Sport Multifeed service this summer and will show every Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League match live in HD. A new Sky Sport News HD App will also launch this summer, offering 24/7 sport news on-the-go.

Sky Deutschland’s HD channel line-up currently includes 65 channels following the recent additions of Syfy HD, 13th Street HD and “E! Entertainment HD.