Broadcaster, which employs 6,400 in Scotland, will remain in the country regardless of referendum outcome

BSkyB has told its thousands of staff in Scotland it has no plans to intervene in the Scottish independence debate and intends to stay in the country regardless of the outcome of September's referendum.

The satellite broadcaster's director of corporate affairs, Graham McWilliam, said that while other companies had spoken out and the debate "is getting louder", Sky "believe it's best to leave the talking up to the politicians and let the people have their say".

Sky is one of Scotland's largest private sector employers, with several of its largest customer service centres in sites such as Livingston. The company employs 6,400 staff directly and another 1,600 through its contractors.

Scotland is also one of the satellite broadcaster's largest markets, with products in one million homes, roughly 40% of the overall number of homes in Scotland.

In a blog for Sky's internal website, now being circulated by pro-independence campaigners on Twitter, McWilliam said he had been asked by staff about the firm's stance. Sky would be neutral, he said.

He wrote: "The first thing to say is that the independence question is a constitutional one for the Scottish people. It's not something that Sky takes a view on corporately. Scotland will continue to be an important part of our business, whatever the voters decide in September."

McWilliam avoided any discussion of the impact a yes vote would have on Sky's products in Scotland, particularly with screening English Premier league football, BBC services and films, since independence would likely alter Sky's licencing and legal position significantly.

It remains doubtful whether the English Football Association or Premier League would regard Scotland as still part of the UK for broadcasting rights and how the BBC would change its prices for Sky to screen its channels.

Sky operates in the Republic of Ireland, and a company spokesman confirmed that its products there were different to Sky packages in the UK.

Asked about the implications of independence for its Scottish customers, the spokesman said: "When situations change, we will make plans to meet those new circumstances but I wouldn't be able to go into detai because that hasn't yet happened."

McWilliam stressed, however, that Sky felt a close bond with its Scottish workforce and customers: "[We have] had a presence in Scotland since we started 25 years ago when we opened our first contact centre in Livingston. It's part of our heritage and our people there do a fantastic job serving our customers.

"We like being in Scotland. And we have no plans to change that."

A Sky spokesman said McWilliam's statement was designed to reassure staff rather than take a stance on the outcome of the referendum.

"This is best practice: having an ongoing dialogue with our workforce, providing reassurance about how important Scotland is to our business and the role it plays, both in terms of our workforce and the number of customers we have in Scotland."

Sky's founder and largest shareholder, Rupert Murdoch, became embroiled in a major row in Scotland after it emerged during the Leveson enquiry that he and Alex Salmond had discussed the company's Scottish and the first minister's plans to cut company taxation.

During a crucial stage in Murdoch's attempts to take complete control of BSkyB in 2010, Salmond had offered to lobby the then culture secretary Jeremy Hunt on the News Corporation founder's behalf. The first minister had close and regular contact with the media mogul, Murdoch's son James, then BSkyB chairman, and senior News International staff.

At the same time, Salmond had sealed a deal with the Scottish edition of the Sun for its backing in the 2010 Scottish elections, after the endorsement was personally sanctioned by Murdoch

Murdoch's takeover collapsed after the News of World's closure following the Guardian's revelation about the hacking of schoolgirl Millie Dowler's mobile; Murduch's 21th Century Fox remains the biggest shareholder with 39.1% of BSkyB shares but James Murdoch has stepped down as chairman.

There is now no direct Murdoch family involvement in the satellite broadcaster's business. In recent months, the Scottish Sun has been more lukewarm towards Salmond's government and shown scepticism about the case for independence.

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