NTL/Chorus adds 15,700 new customers in Q1

The newly-merged Irish cable operations owned by US group Liberty Global, signed up 15,700 new Irish customers in the first quarter…

The newly-merged Irish cable operations owned by US group Liberty Global, signed up 15,700 new Irish customers in the first quarter of 2006.

The former NTL and Chorus groups had a combined customer base of 592,600 customers at the end of the first quarter.

Liberty Global said first quarter profits across its global operations rose to $268.2 million from $16.5 million a year earlier.

Revenue rose 38 percent to $1.63 billion, boosted by acquisitions including Cablecom, NTL Ireland, Austar, Astral and Metropolis, the company said.

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The company added 200,000 high speed subscribers, 170,000 telephone customers, 250,000 digital cable customers and 63,000 video customers in the quarter.

It said it was likely to reach or exceed its previously issued forecast of a gain of 1.6 million revenue generating units or RGUs.

Liberty Global, a spin-off from US cable mogul John Malone's Liberty Media, operates cable systems in 18 countries, including Chile and Australia. In Japan, it owns Jupiter Telecommunications.