08-05-2008

UPC sees 34% growth in Central Europe

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    Liberty Global Inc., owner of Central European cable company UPC, announced first quarter operating cash flow of $1.1 billion (€715 million).

    UPC operations in six Central European territories accounted for an increase of $37 million, or 34.2%, from €86.5 in first quarter 2007 to €110.5 in first quarter 2008. By comparison, the cable division's overall growth was 7.3%.

    UPC now reaches over 7.1 million homes in Hungary, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Repositioning of the cable market in the Czech Republic saw a slight decrease in customers. The Czech Republic now has 155,500 subscribers for UPC's digital cable offering. Liberty Global announced that it will launch digital cable in Poland later this month.

    In a press statement, Liberty Global (www.lgi.com) President and CEO Mike Fries said, "When you look across our core metrics and value drivers this was a strong first quarter." The company trades on Nasdaq, identified as LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK.