Almost one in four Irish homes subscribe to Sky Digital, according to new results from the pay-TV group which show take-up of its satellite package in the Republic surging past 315,000.
Announcing half-year figures, parent company BSkyB said it attracted nearly 50,000 new customers in 2003 - a 16 per cent growth rate.
This means Sky reaches 24 per cent of households with televisions, far ahead of its closest rivals.
The launch within months of a dedicated Irish news service would further augment Sky's appeal, said Mr Mark Deering, director of Sky Ireland
He said: "Almost a quarter of all households in Ireland now subscribe to Sky Digital, confirming once again the growing appeal...of our service."
The broadcaster has restored its long-suspected dividend as it reported higher first-half earnings. BSkyB had not paid out a dividend since 1998 while it rolled out its digital TV service, but yesterday announced an interim dividend of 2.75 pence per share.
Operating profit for the six months ended December climbed 84 per cent from last year to £283 million (€416 million) helped by a rise in subscriber numbers. Subscriber numbers reached 7.2 million in the period, in line with forecasts.
Total revenue rose 17 per cent to £1.77 billion.
