Mega-pay for boss of BSkyB

BSkyB's chief executive took home a £2.8m pay packet in a year that the company hit 10 million customers and posted profits of £1bn.

Jeremy Darroch was handed a basic salary of £888,000, £73,562 in benefits and the maximum bonus of £1.7m, after the company hit its targets.

The broadcaster said: "Performance during the past year was very strong and the company exceeded each of the targets set."

The targets related to profits, cash flow and the growth of customers taking TV subscriptions.

In addition to the payments, Sky awarded Mr Darroch 600,000 shares under its long-term incentive scheme. He also guided the company through a turbulent period as News Corporation's attempted £8bn takeover bid collapsed.

The company's annual report, which was published yesterday, also stated that its chief financial officer, Andrew Griffith, was paid a bonus of £819,000, again, the maximum that was on offer.