Sky expected to boast profit and customer growth

Pay TV giant Sky is expected to shrug off rising competition from rival BT and notch up customer and profit growth when it reports its half-year results next week.

Sky is still prospering despite increased competition. Picture: Getty

City analysts say they expect Sky to have continued to add customers, and are forecasting interim pre-tax profits to have risen 6 per cent to £620 million when it reports on Friday.

This follows strong trading in October that saw the satellite broadcaster record its best first-quarter UK customer growth for four years.

The group said then that it added 77,000 customers in the three months to the end of September across the UK and Ireland, up 50 per cent on a year earlier.

Numis analyst Paul Richards said in a note that Sky offers “defensive growth” in a competitive market.