Sky TV is expecting another surge in high-paying customers in the lead up to the Olympics with plans to launch 15 new channels dedicated to the event.
The pay television operator will broadcast five standard definition channels, eight high definition channels, and a 24-hour news channel, all devoted to Olympics coverage.
There will also be a mosaic channel showing 12 of the Olympic channels at once.
Sky's subscriptions were boosted by the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Its half year profit rose by 3.8% to $62.7 million for the six months ending December.
It also attracted 43% more My Sky subscribers over the period, while the average spend per customer also rose.
Chief executive John Felt says events like the Rugby World Cup and the Olympics are driving the take up of My Sky and high definition services.
Mr Felt says 22 hours of Olympics coverage will also be broadcast on the Prime television channel each day
Meanwhile, he says Igloo - a new pre-paid television service in partnership with TVNZ - is on track to launch in the second quarter of 2012.
