British pay-TV giant BSkyB on Friday announced a 75-percent surge in net profits to 128 million pounds (142 million euros, 213 million dollars) in its first quarter as it added thousands of new customers.
BSkyB said profits after tax jumped 75 percent in the three months to September 30 compared with a net gain of 73 million pounds during the group's first quarter of 2008.
The satellite television provider said it gained 94,000 customers in the first quarter, who were attracted by offerings such as live English Premier League football as well as telephone and Internet services.
BSkyB, whose biggest shareholder is Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, added that its customer base now stood at more than 9.5 million.
During the first quarter meanwhile, group revenue jumped 10 percent to 1.38 billion pounds.
"In what continues to be a tough economic environment, we have increased the number of customers joining Sky," group chief executive Jeremy Darroch said in comments accompanying the results.
"As the (2009/10) year continues, we'll maintain a clear focus on our customers and on delivering on our priorities, all with the aim of building a larger, more profitable, and better business."
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