BSkyB has hit its target of 10 million customers across its various services, nearly six years after the satellite broadcaster setting its ambitious goal.

As reported by marketing news magazine Marketing Week, Sky claims that its 10m customers represent an ever higher number of people – some 36% of the population. This would equate to 25 million people in the UK, a significant audience for attracting advertisers to the BSkyB platforms.

Figures from the last quarter, released in October, showed that the company was extremely close to meeting the target set in 2004. The company acquired 96,000 new customers in the three months to the 30th September, leaving it short of its goal by just 440,000.

“It’s the result of a constant appetite for change and years of hard work behind the scenes to give our customers a great entertainment experience,” said Jeremy Darroch, chief executive of Sky. “But perhaps an even bigger transformation of our business, which means we now have more ways to grow than ever.”

Other than the core Sky TV service, the 10m figure includes 3.15 million Sky+HD customers, 2.8 million broadband subscribers and 2.5 million Sky Talk phone customers.

Sky’s rapid success over the past quarter will likely be seized on as a demonstration of the continued value of marketing. During the same period as the company has attracted over a million customers, its marketing spend has risen by 23.8% – a £58m increase since September 2009. The broadcaster is heavily invested in marketing, which makes up 24% of its operating expenses and accounts for just £80m less than its overall programming spend of £482m (38%).

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