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The satellite provider will launch its first HD service next year with Premiership football and high-profile, popular shows such as 24.

Already widespread in the US where some 10 million HDTV sets have been sold, the format offers much greater quality than the PAL format that is currently used for UK TV broadcasts. Images are widescreen (16:9) and either 1,920 pixels by 1,080 lines or 1,280x720 lines, compared to 768x576 for PAL. HDTV also supports Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

The gradual switch to HDTV is of particular relevance to TV production and post-production companies who have adopted a Mac-based workflow, as Apple has added HD support across its range of pro (and consumer) video editing applications.

Sky is hoping the switch will put it in a strong position to compete with the single UK cable operator which will be formed if, as expected, NTL and Telewest merge.