Sky Sports audiences up

Sky Sports has posted an increase in both coverage and audience viewing in 2013, broadcasting a record 55,000 hours of sport.

The broadcaster, which saw shares drop 10% in November after rival BT stole the exclusive rights to the Champions League and Europa League in a deal worth just under £900 million, will be keen to show shareholders that its sports coverage still sees it lead the market.

In a report released this week, Sky announced that across its six channels and Sky 3D, coverage was up 12% year on year, while audiences were up 6% – largely attributable to the coverage of the first 50 Premier League matches this season.

Sky also recorded more than 30 million unique browsers a month on Sky Sports online, mobile and tablet devices.

“We are offering more sport, more choice and more reasons to watch Sky Sports than ever before,” said Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports.

“Our viewers can enjoy unrivalled sport across six channels, our mobile and digital platforms and while 2013 was the best year yet, we’re sure 2014 will be even better.”

In 2013, Sky showed almost 8,500 hours of football, 5,072 hours of golf and just over 4,700 hours of cricket.