German cable network operator Kabel BW saw its revenues grow by 13 percent to EUR 150.2 million for the first quarter, compared with the same quarter in 2010. EBITDA grew by 16.1 percent year-on-year to EUR 87.1 million in the first quarter, with the EBITDA margin improving from 56.4 percent in the first quarter 2010 to 58 percent. The EBIT grew by 15.3 percent to EUR 49.8 million. Kabel BW's monthly ARPU improved 9.9 percent to EUR 18.8. The operator's analogue TV customer base grew by 1 percent year-on-year to 2.322 million on 31 March, of which 308,000 also use a pay digital TV service, growing by 46.7 percent year-on-year. The number of broadband/telephony customers increased by 26.3 percent or 147,000 to 705,000 at the end of the first quarter. During the first quarter, Kabel BW's owner Swedish private equity investor EQT accepted a takeover offer from Liberty Global with a value of EUR 3.16 billion. As Liberty Global already owns Germany's second largest cable network operator Unitymedia, the deal has to approved by the European and German cartel authorities.
