More Australians watched subscription television over the week of July 27 – August 3 2008 than any other week in the industry’s history, with STV channels reaching a record 5.5 million viewers. The OzTAM results showed subscription television’s average weekly reach was 5.539 million viewers in STV homes. This is an increase of nine per cent on the same week last year, with STV up six per cent year-to-date. Since the introduction of new digital services in 2004, which greatly expanded the choice of channels and services available to subscribers, STV has increased its weekly average reach in STV homes by more than 38% (from 3.8 million to 5.3 million 2008-to-date). Apart from the first week of 2008, STV has consistently recorded an average weekly reach above 5 million viewers this year. Brian Walsh, Foxtel’s executive director of television and marketing said, “These figures are a clear indication that Australian television viewers are embracing the choice of subscription television’s huge range of programming, channels and services. We’ve hit a record of 5.5 million viewers and that, by any measure, is a significant milestone for our business.”