Sky Life subscribers break 3 million

Sky Life, a digital satellite broadcaster, announced Thursday that its subscriber figure had reached over 3 million as of Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference in downtown Seoul, its chief executive Lee Mong-ryong said the broadcaster will add 10 high-definition channels next month, offering a total of 85 HD channels ― at least twice the number of its rivals.

Lee also said that it will offer pay-per-view 3-D content for the first time in Korea beginning next Tuesday. He added that a separate channel for pay-per-view 3-D movies is expected to be launched as early as July.

“This is only the start,” said Lee. “With the most competitive HD channels and 3-D channels as well as our video-on-demand service in cooperation with KT Corp., we project to make major changes in the premium television market.”

This year, Sky Life will use the advanced advertisement system by establishing a joint venture company here with a Swiss firm. Advanced advertisement enables broadcasters to send out different TV ads depending on the subscribers’ age, income level and viewing preferences.

The company will also commercialize its N-Screen technology ― which allows sharing of data on multiple platforms such as mobile devices, TVs and personal computers ― in May, according to Lee.

“We will take the lead in the new media market which is changing on a daily basis,” he said. “We were the first to showcase 3-D, but we plan to make continual efforts to develop convergence items of broadcast and telecommunications.”

Reaching a record-breaking 431 billion won ($384.37 million) in sales in 2010, Sky Life is to be listed on the local stock exchange in May.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)