BskyB foresees rush of subscriptions from 'stay at home' consumers

With the UK in the throes of recession many people are opting to stay at home and enjoy entertainment such as television or getting online rather than going out, which could result in a boost in subscription numbers for one major ISP.

According to a recent report one major Internet Service Provider and media giant, BSkyB has predicted a boost in subscription numbers and profits over the coming months as a result of the recession and the financial crisis, which have left many consumers without the financial ability to go out as much as they used to.

Jeremy Darroch, the new chief executive of BSkyB, has recently predicted that profits for the media giant will rise and subscriber numbers to service such as digital television and broadband will increase, and he said that this is because more and more people will turn to staying at home and enjoying entertainment in the house rather than have to cope with the expense of going out.

In the final quarter of last year the company is expected to have added around one hundred and forty five thousand new television customers as well as around one hundred and eighty thousand broadband customers. Profits up to the end of December are expected to come in at around fifteen percent higher than in December of 2007.

However, industry officials have said that whilst figures for BSkyB are expected to look healthy as a result of increased subscriptions the company may not get through the recession totally unscathed. One official said: “Compared with all other media in the rest of the UK we expect BSkyB to hold up very, very well. But it is not something that is going to be immune from the UK falling into recession.”