TalkTalk celebrates broadband success

The group said it had notched up 15,000 net broadband additions for the second quarter to the end of September and 25,000 for the first half.

It said the growth reflected a “real demand for its best value unlimited broadband products”, saying it was the only provider to offer unlimited downloads across all of its packages

TV net adds for TalkTalk were 115,000 in the second quarter, down from 185,000 in the first quarter.

Pre-tax profits for the first half swung to £20m compared to a £9m loss in the same period last year, while the group’s preferred underlying earnings figure was up 45 per cent to £110m.

TalkTalk and Sky are fighting back against BT’s offer of free TV Premier League football for its internet customers, with the telecoms giant recently admitting that it had been squeezed by its rivals’ promotions.

BT reported its lowest level of broadband customer growth for two years in the latest quarter, though at 88,000 it was still ahead of competitors. TalkTalk highlighted its appeal to customers looking to trim their spending.

Half-year revenues up 3.3 per cent to £871m were in line with expectations and the interim dividend rose 15 per cent to 4.6p.