Liberty Global’s operating income in Europe slumped by 29.7% year-on-year to $537 million in the third quarter.
At the same time, the net loss attributable to shareholders was $460 million, compared to $168 million in the same period last year.
In what was a very mixed set of results, the company noted that the decrease in operating was primarily due to the net effect of lower OCF.
In terms of customer numbers, the 204,400 organic RGU net additions posted in Q3 was 23.7% lower than in the same period last year. However, within that total, video losses in Q3 amounted to 30,800, compared to 19,300 a year earlier, when the Netherlands was not included in the figure.
Organic RGU net additions were strongest in the UK/Ireland, at 92,400 (80,400), driven by new build and a return to growth in Ireland across fixed services, while there were losses in Belgium/Luxembourg (-14,600) and Switzerland/Austria (-7,300) in Q3. Both Germany and CEE posted significantly fewer additions than in the same period in 2016.
On a more postive note, Liberty Global’s European operation added 216,000 subscribers to its advanced platforms in Q3, thereby helping it reach 7.5 million, or 42% of its total cable video base. Its WiFi Connect Box deployments increased by over 820,000 units, ending Q3 with over 5.3 million, or 37% of the company’s broadband base in the platform across Europe. Meanwhile, Liberty’s mobile service gained an additional 48,000 subscribers in the third quarter.
In Europe as a whole, Liberty lost 78,900 basic video subscribers in Q3, while its enhanced video subscriber total rose by 56,400. Its DTH services, received in four CEE markets, lost 8,300 customers. Liberty’s European internet base meanwhile grew by 132,900 and telephony by 204,400 in the third quarter.
