UPDATED: A surge in subscribers for its MySky HDi service has seen Sky Television post an unexpectedly high 19.1% rise in interim net profit.

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But the company is still struggling with a low level of subscriber growth overall and a depressed advertising market.

Kiwi consumers have taken to high definition television with such gusto that Sky Television claims it is so far ahead of its sales programme it’s running out of product.

Chief executive John Fellet says the company had projected to sell around 40,000 units of its MySky HDi high definition satellite TV receivers by the end of last year.