Recent reports that United Kingdom satellite TV giant British Sky Broadcasting is getting ready to launch a standalone broadband service, internally dubbed "Picnic Broadband," sound like a good idea to UBS Securities analyst Daniel Kerven, although he's not quite so sure about the name.
Several British newspapers have reported that BSkyB, the largest direct-to-home company in the
In a report in the Financial Times, a BSkyB representative wouldn't discuss details, but said that the company was "examining options to broaden access to the benefits and value that we can provide. However, no plans are confirmed at this time."
Despite the lukewarm denial from BSkyB, Kerven wrote in a report that having its own broadband service would be a good move.
"While we are not sure about the name, we believe that this would make strategic sense," Kerven said. "Sky has made the investment in broadband/customer service infrastructure and can leverage off existing marketing spend."
He added that a broadband product would generate incremental revenue and provide the opportunity to upsell TV in the future.
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