Sky share price: Company releases half-year results

Sky Plc (LON:SKY) today reported its financial results for the half year ended December 31. Highlights are provided below:

**Strong demand from customers**
· 337,000 new customers joined Sky in Q2; highest UK and Ireland customer growth for ten years
· Customers bought 1.1 million new products, with strong demand for both TV and broadband
**Extending our leadership on screen**
· Key rights secured: Showtime, HBO, Premier League and USA PGA Tour
· Over 100 Sky original dramas in development or production
**Market leading innovation gathering pace**

· 10 million homes now connected
· Significant enhancements coming to Sky+
· On Demand, Box Sets and Sky Go Extra services rolling out in Germany and Italy
· Launch of an even better NOW TV box
· Sky Q, our ground-breaking new TV product, available to buy in the UK and Ireland from February
**Excellent financial performance**
· Further strong revenue growth of 5% to £5.7 billion
· Highest ever first-half operating profit, up 12% to £747 million
· Increase in interim dividend to 12.6 pence per share
**New Chairman and Deputy Chairman announced**
· Nicholas Ferguson CBE to step down as Chairman and as a Director after 12 years on the Board
· James Murdoch appointed Chairman; Martin Gilbert appointed Deputy Chairman
*Unless otherwise stated, all results are on an adjusted like-for-like basis including the results of Italy and Germany & Austria for the full period. Prior period adjusted results down to operating profit are stated on a constant currency basis, at a rate of €1.39:£1, being the average rate for the current period.*
As of 07:15 GMT, Friday, 29 January, Sky Plc share price is 1,041.00p.