Growth at Malone’s U.K. Cable Business Is Coming at a Price (2)

Billionaire John Malone’s Liberty Global Plc is paying a heavier price to win British broadband subscribers from dominant rival BT Group Plc.

Liberty Global, which has been focused on boosting income per subscriber, saw average revenue per user in the U.K. and Ireland fell 0.3 percent to 51.36 pounds ($67) in the first quarter, hit by a step-up in promotional pricing and the timing of some pay-per-view events.

Asset sales in Germany and eastern Europe are set to make Liberty Global -- the U.S.-listed vehicle for cable baron Malone’s European assets -- more reliant on Britain, where it is rolling ...