Virigin Media counts cost of lost customers in UK

Virgin Media today revealed the cost of its spat with rival BSkyB in the UK as it reported a loss of 46,900 customers in the first three months of the year.

The company, rebranded from NTL after the cable operator bought Virgin Mobile and Telewest last year, said only 184,300 customers had signed up in the first quarter compared with 213,500 in the previous three months after the withdrawal of BSkyB’s basic channels at the end of February when the two groups failed to agree on contract renewal terms.