SATELLITE broadcaster BSkyB today said customer numbers topped 9m as the company bucked “challenging” trading conditions.

The company added 87,000 new customers in the three months to September 30, taking its total to 9.07m – its best first-quarter performance for five years.

The churn rate – a measure of customer turnover – stood at 10.9%

Chief executive Jeremy Darroch said the group had produced “a good set of results in a challenging environment”.