BSkyB close to 10 million target - graduate jobs

Graduate employer BSkyB has announced that it has added 96,000 customers in the first three months of its financial year.

The figure moves the UK satellite broadcaster closer to its target of reaching 10 million customers by the end of the year.

The broadcaster, which runs several high-profile graduate recruitment schemes, is rolling out a strategy to attract customers to additional home communications products such as high-definition (HD) television, phone and broadband services.

It achieved its highest-ever combined quarterly growth for these services, boosting total additional product sales by 13% to 893,000 and increasing its number of customers taking TV, phone and broadband by 39%, to a total of 2.3 million customers.

Since 2004, when the 10 million target was set by former chief executive James Murdoch, the company has increased its customer base from 7.4 million to 9.956 million households.

The group, which recently rejected a takeover bid by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, has said it plans to open a new call centre, creating 500 jobs, to support the growth.

The start of the second quarter saw Sky 3D, Europe's first in-home 3D channel, launched with coverage of the Ryder Cup golf tournament on October 1.

BSkyB said 32% of its customers now subscribe to its HD service, with a further 215,000 additions in the first quarter to surpass three million customers.

The group also posted a 15% increase in revenues to £1.5 billion.