Sky doubles HD service subscriber base

Despite most of us suffering constrained circumstances right now, Sky has managed to double the subscriber base to its HD digital satellite broadcasting platform in the 12 months from to March 2009.

This means that Sky can now boast more than a million Sky+ HD subscribers – a considerable feat at a time when people are looking to make household savings wherever they can.

Sky+ explodes

Sky has also done nicely with its Sky+ system over the past year, with it now being in more than five million homes in either its HD or standard-def incarnations. That equates to one in five UK households, fact fans.

Want more Sky-related stats? No problem. First, more than 9.3 million people now have Sky, with 80,000 new customers signing up in the first three months of 2009.

What's more, of the 9.3 million subscribers, 2.1 million also take Sky Broadband and 1.7 million are Sky Talk customers. Kerching.

Football crazy

Sky HD's subs figures mean that it's now installed in one in ten Sky homes. Sky's biggest ever HD audience, meanwhile, found 300,000 people watching the Carling Cup Final between Man U and Tottenham.

Finally, in a clear attempt to slap down recent HD proclamations from Freesat, Sky gleefully informs us that Sky HD customers can choose from up to 400 hours of HD footage a day – or 12,000 hours a month. That's around 50 times more than the nearest competitor.

Right, that's quite enough stats for one day. We're starting to feel dizzy.