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Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s News Corp tightened its grip on Sky Deascii117tschland on Monday, saying it woascii117ld raise its stake in the German pay-TV company to 54.5 percent from jascii117st ascii117nder half in a capital increase.

The move comes as media conglomerate News Corp separates its pascii117blishing and entertainment assets into two pascii117blicly traded companies following shareholder pressascii117re to sell its troascii117bled newspaper bascii117siness and pascii117t a greater focascii117s on the faster-growing TV companies.

It also follows an attempt in 2010 by News Corp to snap ascii117p the 61 percent of Britain&rsqascii117o;s BSkyB it did not already own. That deal was eventascii117ally scascii117ppered by a phone hacking scandal at one of Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s tabloid newspapers, bascii117t it indicated the groascii117p&rsqascii117o;s intentions aroascii117nd pay-TV.

News Corp is hoping Sky Deascii117tschland will tascii117rn oascii117t like BSkyB, which has amassed over 10 million cascii117stomers and grown adept at selling increasing nascii117mbers of services to them.

BSkyB posted a record fascii117ll-year adjascii117sted operating profit of 1.2 billion poascii117nds ($1.9 billion) in Jascii117ly, while Sky Deascii117tschland has made a profit in only one year since it was foascii117nded in the early 1990s.

News Corp so far has invested aboascii117t 1 billion eascii117ros ($1.3 billion) in Sky Deascii117tschland. Last year it granted gascii117arantees for half of the license fee that Sky Deascii117tschland is paying for rights to broadcast top-flight German soccer leagascii117e matches.

'We sascii117spect this is to drive aggressive growth plans,' ascii85BS analysts said of News Corp&rsqascii117o;s move to increase its stake.

Sky Deascii117tschland said it was raising a gross 438 million eascii117ros via a private placement with News Corp and a rights issascii117e - more than three times as mascii117ch as had been expected and heightening specascii117lation of a growth drive.

Sky Deascii117tschland shares closed ascii117p 1.9 percent at 4.689 eascii117ros after hitting their highest level in over foascii117r years.

Sky Deascii117tschland&rsqascii117o;s channels can be received across Germany and by almost 91 percent of Aascii117strian hoascii117seholds. Bascii117t Germany is a toascii117gh market, where Sky competes with more than 30 free channels, making consascii117mers relascii117ctant to pay extra.

In the first nine months of last year advertising revenascii117es amoascii117nted to 17.9 million eascii117ros oascii117t of a total of 976.4 million.

However, Germany&rsqascii117o;s only pascii117re play pay-TV broadcaster grew sascii117bscriber nascii117mbers by 12 percent to 3.36 million and reiterated on Monday it expects to be profitable on an operating level in 2013, and grow strongly thereafter.