The merged cable group NTL Ireland, which is made up of NTL and Chorus, has reported total subscriber numbers of 592,600 for the first quarter ended March 31st.

The company which is ultimately owned by Liberty Global, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is involved in broadband, analog and digital television.

During the period the company had 313,200 analog TV subscribers and 162,000 digital subscribers, with the remainder using MMDS systems.

No profit or sales figure was given for NTL or Chorus, but the company said it had added 15,700 TV customers compared to the equivalent period last year.

The company claimed to have 32,000 broadband customers.

The number of analogue subscribers dropped by 8,300 in the three months to 313,200, but digital subscribers grew by 21,000 to 162,000.

Liberty said it planned to launch VoIP, or internet telephone services, later this year.

Liberty, which already owned Chorus, acquired NTL Ireland last year.

Robert Dunn was recently appointed as managing director of the merged group.

In overall terms Liberty Global posted sharply higher quarterly earnings, boosted by gains in new video, high-speed internet and digital phone subscribers. - (Additional reporting by Reuters)