Advanced Television

“Virgin's got the beating of BT and Sky”

February 2, 2010

Virgin Media has claimed it can outpace BT on broadband speeds, reach parity with Sky in the range of its programming and has no pressing need to sell assets, so says CEO Neil Berkett laying out growth plans and forecasting a profitable future.

Virgin Media secured an advantage over BT last year by offering customers download speeds of up to 50 megabits per second.

Berkett told the FT: “Am I comfortable that the superior position we've taken in broadband is sustainable? Absolutely.” He said that Virgin Media could increase download speeds on its network to 100 mbps within six months of taking a decision to do so. “By the time [BT] have critical mass [at 40mbps], we would have moved to 100 mbps.”

Berkett also claimed that a deal with TiVo would give Virgin Media customers a viewing experience superior to BSkyB's. He hinted TiVo technology in Virgin Media set-top boxes would provide an all-encompassing way of watching, and interacting with video whether broadcast or online.

Categories: Articles, Broadband, Cable