Virgin's results 'best ever' as customers spend more

Virgin Media not only added 200,000 subscribers over the last quarter, it found a way to get its customers to spend more, too.

Calling its third quarter results its "best ever financial performance", Virgin Media reported a five per cent increase in average revenue per user (ARPU) to 44.24, marking its second record quarterly increase in a row.

Virgin said mobile contract sales were up 51 per cent on-year, with 88,000 signing up in the last quarter.

The firm posted 953 million in revenue, up from 941 million in the same quarter of last year. It posted 348 million in operating cash flow - which is income before depreciation and other charges - and 50 million in operating income, down by 3 million from last year.

Virgin Media's chief executive officer, Neil Berkett, said in a statement: "I am pleased to report that this quarter's results delivered a strong OCF performance. I believe this demonstrates the success we have had in significantly differentiating and monetising our compelling consumer proposition."

He added: "Our focus remains on attracting high value customers, who buy more from us and stay with us longer. This strategy has led to the second successive quarter of record ARPU and strong consumer revenue growth. I am delighted that these results show we are progressing significantly in this regard."