[Satellite TODAY 05-07-10] DirecTV posted revenue gains of 14 percent in the first quarter of 2010 to $5.6 billion, the company announced May 6.
     First quarter earnings more than doubled to $558 million in the same period. In the first three months of 2009, DirecTV earned $201 million on revenues of $4.9 billion. DirecTV credited the revenue gains to strong subscriber and ARPU growth as well as $57 million of revenue mostly related to DirecTV Sports Networks, which was acquired as part of the transaction with Liberty Media Corp. in November.
     DirecTV U.S. revenue grew from $4.3 billion in 2009 to $4.8 billion in 2010, while average revenue per subscriber (ARPU) was $85.47 in the first three months of 2010, compared to $80.35 in the same period in 2009. Subscriber acquisition costs at DirecTV U.S. fell due to a decline in gross subscriber additions, though the total subscriber base now stands at 18.7 million, compared to 18.1 million at the close of March 2009.
     Revenues for DirecTV Latin America increased 30 percent to $779 million, mainly due to strong subscriber growth and a 9.5 percent increase in ARPU. First quarter net additions increased 49 percent to 221,000 subscribers, primarily due to strong growth in Brazil, Colombia and Argentina.