FORM 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Report of Foreign Issuer
Pursuant to Rule 13a - 16 or 15d - 16 of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the month of November, 2006
03 November, 2006
BRITISH SKY BROADCASTING GROUP PLC
(Name of Registrant)
Grant Way, Isleworth, Middlesex, TW7 5QD England
(Address of principal executive offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports
under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F
Form 20-F X Form 40-F
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information
contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the
Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Yes No X
If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in
connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): Not Applicable
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit
EXHIBIT NO.1 Press release of British Sky Broadcasting Group plc
announcing AGM Statement released on 03 November, 2006
3 November 2006
BRITISH SKY BROADCASTING GROUP PLC
(the 'Company')
Annual General Meeting
At the Annual General Meeting of the Company held today at The Queen Elizabeth
II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3EE at 11.30
a.m. The Chairman's statement follows below:
"As your Chairman, and having watched Sky grow from its infancy in 1988, I'd
like to say something important about this Company.
It is a truism that the world of media is changing at a pace faster than ever
before. New generations of consumers are demanding content when they want it,
how they want it and very much as they want it. But it's also more than that.
The boundaries between media and adjacent sectors, such as Broadband and
Telephony, are disappearing and this is creating an unprecedented change in the
landscape. In this environment there's no doubt that the biggest challenge of
all is to have a clear strategy that takes advantage of these new developments.
Media companies that expect historical performance to protect their business
models from this change will fail and fall. Many companies have indeed failed so
far to implement a clear strategy that allows them to seize the opportunities
presented. To them the social and technological changes we are experiencing are
a threat, not an opportunity.
In contrast Sky embraces change. No company in the UK has achieved more than Sky
in the past year to adapt itself for the future and set the pace of change to
meet the needs of existing and future customers. I am proud to be Chairman of
the Company and it is a rare occasion to be able to highlight the scale of this
transformation.
One year ago, I stood here as Chairman of the U.K.'s leading Pay-TV company,
which had a significant share of a sector worth around GBP7 billion. Today, 12
months on, Sky continues to hold that leading position, but is also poised to
become a major challenger in the adjacent sectors of broadband and telephony,
estimated to be worth around GBP25 billion in 2010. Let me take you through what
we've done over the last year.
In content, the Group concluded a number of agreements during the year. In
Sports, this included the successful bids for the best packages of FA Premier
League rights for a further three seasons from 2007 to 2010. Coupled with other
recent agreements, such as UEFA Champions League Football and ECB Cricket, this
gives real clarity to Sky Sports' leading offering right through to the end of
the decade. In entertainment, our new partnership with Disney means we can now
offer more family entertainment to our customers, and with the addition of new
channels to our service, such as Artsworld, we are continuing to invest in the
range and quality of our programming. We have also made our pricing and
packaging of content more simple for customers, with the introduction of "genre"
packs in September last year. By organising our basic channels into six genres,
customers can build their own package providing them with more choice and
flexibility than ever before.
In customer service, the Group implemented new customer management systems,
which are a critical differentiator in a competitive market place, and asserts
Sky's service leadership yet again. This means we can improve sales, increase
the efficiency of our marketing and ultimately provide better service for our
existing customers. One example of this is that you can now book a Sky+ upgrade
via your remote control.
One benefit to raising the bar even higher in service is that we can bring new
technology to the market faster, leading the way in this industry. In May, we
launched the U.K.'s first national High Definition TV service, providing the
ultimate in picture and sound quality with the widest range of HD channels.
Levels of demand from customers have been encouraging, achieving the fastest
rate of take-up of any additional Sky product.
This year we have also moved beyond the broadcast stream with the launch of
other new services including Europe's largest legal movie and sports download
service and TV via the mobile phone. This has allowed Sky Sports to offer
pioneering multi-platform coverage of recent sporting events such as the Ryder
Cup and the UEFA Champions League and there will much more to follow in future
across many genres.
Through the acquisition of Easynet Group and subsequent planning, the Group
launched Sky Broadband in July. This morning the Group announced that it had
received significant customer interest, with around one million registrations to
date for Sky Broadband. This level of demand clearly shows that Sky has struck a
chord with customers and we are excited about the future opportunity this will
provide. Since the start, 74,000 customers have been connected, with 88% on our
network.
Sky was founded on the premise that viewers would respond to more choice in
television - a notion that was highly unfashionable at the time. Almost two
decades later, demand from customers for high quality products and services with
compelling value show no signs of abating. The Group's target of eight million
DTH customers by 31 December 2005 was achieved early and almost one in four
customers now choose an additional product, such as Sky+, Multiroom or Sky HD.
Financially, the Group is in robust health. Turnover for the year to June 2006
grew by 8% to GBP4.1 billion generating record cashflow from operations of over
GBP1 billion. This provides a substantial base from which to support growth into
new business areas as well as enabling returns to shareholders. Since the AGM
last year, BSkyB has returned GBP592 million to shareholders via its ordinary
dividend and share buy back bringing to GBP1.3 billion the amount over the last
two years.
The ordinary dividend has more than doubled in the last two years and the full
year dividend we are proposing today represents an increase of 34% on the
comparable period.
Sky is a British success story, a significant contributor to the economy and
community, attracting attention and admiration from around the globe. It is a
champion of choice and innovation in entertainment and continues to make a
sustained and significant contribution to the arts, sport, education, and the
environment.
In addition, a sense of responsibility is ingrained across the organisation.
BSkyB is the first major media company and only the second company in the
FTSE100 to become carbon neutral, finding ways to help customers save energy in
their homes and contribute to the environment.
I would like to thank all of the non-executive directors for the time they have
invested and for their continued support. In particular, I would like to thank
Lord St John of Fawsley, who is retiring from the Board today, for his
contribution over many years of service.
Finally, I would like to thank all my colleagues at Sky for their tireless
dedication. It is through them that Sky will be able to grasp the vast
opportunities that social and technological trends present delivering
substantial future value to shareholders."
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
BRITISH SKY BROADCASTING GROUP PLC
Date: 03 November, 2006 By: /s/ Dave Gormley
Dave Gormley
Company Secretary