Telecoms and media giant Virgin Media added 38,300 new cable subscribers in the first quarter of 2010, boosting overall revenue to £963m, up 2.9 per cent year on year.

Virgin Media chief executive Neil Berkett said Higher gross additions, low churn and increased ARPU average revenue per user enabled us to deliver year-on-year cable subscription growth for the fourth consecutive quarter.

However, revenue from Virgin Medias business arm shrank 6.6 per cent year on year to £139.9m from £149.8m 2009, and down sequentially by 3.6 per cent from the previous quarters £145.2m.

Virgin Medias consumer sector customers delivered £789.5m in revenue, up from £753.

3m last year but down on last quarters £796.1m.

Virgin Medias mobile contract subscribers increased by 81,200, up 45 per cent year on year, breaking the one million subscriber mark.

Churn – customers switching to competing telecoms companies was just 1.1 per cent for the first quarter, a record low, according to Virgin Media.

Virgin Media also said that its successful bundling strategy had given it a triple-play penetration of 61.9 per cent, and an 11 per cent quad-play penetration.

Quad-play is an offer that encompasses paid-for IPTV, broadband, standard phone services and mobile phone services. Triple play is quad-play without the mobile phone services.