TalkTalk takings up despite user exodus
TALKTALK upped its full-year profit guidance and raised its expected earnings per share yesterday despite continuing to haemorrhage customers throughout its third quarter.
The former Carphone Warehouse subsidiary shed 43,000 net broadband accounts in the period, leaving TalkTalk with around 4m customers.
This year has seen the telecoms group fined £3m and ordered to pay out £2.5m in compensation by Ofcom after the media regulator received more than 1000 complaints about TalkTalk for incorrectly billing former subscribers.
However, TalkTalk said it expects broadband users to bounce back to growth by the summer.
The company reported flat quarter-on-quarter revenues of £422m, down five per cent on last year, although broadband revenue grew two per cent to £312m.
TalkTalk chief executive Dido Harding said: “Churn has stabilised and we remain confident of a return to total net adds in the first half of 2012.
“Our strong financial performances give us confidence as we look ahead to delivering an exciting strategic agenda throughout 2012, including the launch of our TV proposition.”
YouView, TalkTalk’s collaboration with Britain’s major TV channels, is scheduled to launch in the spring. Shares jumped 11 per cent yesterday.