Sky is to launch its high definition service on 22 May, with the broadcaster claiming to have received more advance orders for installation of the service than were received for Sky+ in its entire first year.
Since bookings for installation of the service were opened to the public on 13 April 2006, Sky claims to have received 40,000 advance sales.
The services’s first week broadcast will see Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith aired on launch day via Sky Box Office HD, while Sky One HD will air an episode of 24.
Programmes such as Rescue Me and Star Trek Enterprise will also be screened in high definition in the first week of operation, while cricket fans will be given their first high definition broadcasts on the 25th, when England face up to Sri Lanka in the 2nd test on Sky Sports HD.
Elsewhere, Sky has announced that live matches from the Coca Cola League and the Carling Cup will be broadcast in high definition from the start of the 2006-07 season in August, with outside broadcast facilities provided by Arquiva upgraded from the summer.
In addition, live Barclays Premiership football and Guinness Premiership Rugby union will be broadcast in HD, alongside county cricket and live international Test and One-Day internationals.
“High definition will take viewers closer to the action than they have ever been before,” said Sky Sports’ head of operations, Darren Long. “The sofa really will become the best seat in the stadium.”
Earlier this year James Murdoch, chief executive of BSkyB, said that the launch of Sky HD would drive the business forward, explaining: “This year we’ll push the bar further with the launch of high-definition TV and our broadband service. We are well positioned to sustain our growth as existing and future customers tell us that Sky is the preferred brand for new entertainment and communications services.”
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