BT’s TV service has reported its best quarter ever with more than 100,000 new subscribers attracted to its coverage of Champions League football.
The telecoms giant, which paid £900m to snatch the exclusive TV rights from Sky, said that it signed up 106,000 TV customers in the three months to the end of September.
It is the most that BT has signed up in a quarter since the TV service, which now has 1.3 million customers, was first launched back in 2007.
“We’ve seen good demand for BT Sport Europe and this has helped us add a record number of BT TV customers in the quarter,” said the BT chief executive, Gavin Patterson. “Its contribution has been better than we expected, helping drive a 7% increase in BT Consumer revenue.”
BT’s Consumer division saw revenues rise by 7% to £1.12bn, fuelled by a 17% increase in broadband and TV revenue.
Sign-ups for BT Sport Europe, the channel that is home to its Champions League coverage, fuelled a 6% increase in average revenue per user to £427, ametric that indicates the profitability of each customer.
BT lured TV subscribers with a launch offer starting on 1 August of free BT Sport Europe for those who bought a set-top box and signed up for BT TV.
The company also credited the launch of the AMC channel, home to hits including The Walking Dead hit prequel Fear The Walking Dead, for its subscriber boost.
“This is our best ever quarter reflecting the improvements we have made to our TV offering including the launch of BT Sport Europe and our new AMC TV channel,” said Patterson.
Patterson also credited the performance of BT’s TV and broadband operation for fuelling its first overall revenue increase in seven quarters, as underlying revenues rose by 2% to £4.38bn.
On Wednesday, the competition regulator provisionally cleared BT’s proposed £12.5bn takeover of EE, the UK’s largest mobile phone operator.
