NTL boss talks tough

NTL may have £12bn in debt and one or two disgruntled customers but Barclay Knapp, the CEO of the telecoms to TV to broadband company, has said he is confident the company will emerge strongly from the current downturn.

Commenting on the tough economic climate, Knapp, in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, said: "We probably stand to fare even better because people don't stop watching TV, they don't stop talking on the phone, they don't stop using the internet. They may cut down their usage a little bit, but it's not like you're going to give up those things."

There is speculation - as ever - that Nasdaq-listed NTL will one day merge with fellow UK cable operator Telewest. However, Knapp was keen to play down the ongoing rumours.

He said: "That's been the talk for about seven years. There's nothing to say there. We are very close operationally. We are cooperating to every extent that we can."

This year the two companies - which only compete to a very small degree - pooled their marketing for broadband, cable modem-based services. They also share procurement of common equipment such as set-top boxes.