Point Topic Virgin Media Broadband Profile

United Kingdom / Virgin Media

19 Dec 2013

Virgin Media was launched in Q1 2007 as the new name and brand for the telecoms and media group created by the merger between NTL:Telewest, VirginNet and Virgin Mobile (bought by NTL in 2006).

On 5 February 2013, Virgin Media announced its takeover by Liberty Global for a consideration of USD 16 billion. This will give Liberty Global access to Europe’s largest cable market. Liberty Global completed its acquisition of Virgin Media on 7 June 2013 following shareholder and regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions in a stock and cash merger valued at around US$24 billion.

The company provides business and residential cable, DSL, and TV, as well as fixed and mobile telephony. Virgin Media is making use of its advantage as an integrated supplier of a complete range of telecoms and media services to offer a wide range of bundles including broadband and other telecoms services.

On 15 December 2008 Virgin Media launched a high-speed broadband service in its residential segment. The Docsis 3.0 service, running up to 50 Mbps, provided the operator with a major competitive advantage in terms of superfast first mover advantage over BT. The service is now widely available in the UK market. The operator launched its 100 Mbps service in the first quarter of 2011. Virgin Media also launched a customer pilot deploying a 200 Mbps broadband service in May 2009.

http://www.virginmedia.com [88321] Tariffs

199.5 ADSL Cable Modem, DOCSIS3.0 ) D S U (

n o

i 100 t p i r c s b u S

y l h t n o M

50 100

Downstream Mb/s

Financials

12/02/14 © Point Topic 2014 1 / 12 Point Topic Virgin Media Broadband Profile

Financials Date Revenue EBITDA Net profit ARPU Currency 30-Sep-2013 1,022,800,000 426,700,000 48 GBP Quarter 30-Jun-2013 1,026,700,000 427,100,000 50 GBP Quarter 31-Mar-2013 1,042,500,000 398,500,000 138,900,000 49 GBP Quarter 31-Dec-2012 1,039,700,000 442,200,000 2,628,000,000 49 GBP Quarter 30-Sep-2012 1,027,700,000 422,700,000 123,900,000 49 GBP Quarter 30-Jun-2012 1,026,900,000 412,100,000 64,700,000 49 GBP Quarter 31-Mar-2012 1,006,200,000 376,500,000 7,000,000 47 GBP Quarter 31-Dec-2011 1,023,700,000 423,700,000 48,200,000 48 GBP Quarter 30-Sep-2011 1,000,000,000 398,300,000 -73,800,000 48 GBP Quarter 30-Jun-2011 985,800,000 392,100,000 98,200,000 47 GBP Quarter 31-Mar-2011 982,300,000 376,100,000 3,300,000 46 GBP Quarter 31-Dec-2010 1,003,800,000 403,600,000 37,100,000 48 GBP Quarter 30-Sep-2010 978,400,000 387,300,000 41,800,000 46 GBP Quarter 30-Jun-2010 964,200,000 369,700,000 -59,900,000 46 GBP Quarter 31-Mar-2010 929,400,000 349,600,000 -,160,400,000 45 GBP Quarter 31-Dec-2009 941,300,000 367,100,000 -94,400,000 45 GBP Quarter 30-Sep-2009 919,400,000 349,400,000 -60,100,000 45 GBP Quarter 30-Jun-2009 900,100,000 327,500,000 -49,300,000 44 GBP Quarter 31-Mar-2009 935,700,000 312,300,000 154,000,000 43 GBP Quarter 31-Dec-2008 1,032,500,000 317,600,000 -,241,400,000 42 GBP Quarter 30-Sep-2008 991,100,000 326,300,000 -,120,800,000 42 GBP Quarter 30-Jun-2008 990,500,000 334,300,000 -,447,200,000 42 GBP Quarter 31-Mar-2008 1,001,800,000 323,500,000 -,104,400,000 42 GBP Quarter 31-Dec-2007 1,050,600,000 -,163,200,000 42 GBP Quarter 30-Sep-2007 1,006,200,000 -61,000,000 42 GBP Quarter 30-Jun-2007 995,000,000 -,119,000,000 42 GBP Quarter 31-Mar-2007 1,021,900,000 -,120,300,000 43 GBP Quarter 31-Dec-2006 1,081,600,000 -,122,100,000 43 GBP Quarter 30-Sep-2006 1,024,900,000 -96,100,000 GBP Quarter 30-Jun-2006 884,300,000 -,195,800,000 GBP Quarter 31-Mar-2006 611,400,000 -,119,900,000 GBP Quarter

Statistics

BT Group Subscribers Growth Market Share EE 4,500,000 30% Sky Broadband TalkTalk 4,460,000 20% 20%

s UK Other

r 31% e %

Virgin b i h r t Media c

4,420,000 10% w s o r b Other u G

S 18.1% 4,380,000 0% 22.2%

4,340,000 -10% Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 2012 2012 2012 2012 2013 2013 2013 Period

2013 November – New 152Mbps service and speed boost for existing customers. Virgin Media announced it is

12/02/14 © Point Topic 2014 2 / 12 Point Topic Virgin Media Broadband Profile

to introduce an ultrafast 152Mbps speed and boost speeds for existing customers by at least 20Mbps depending on their current service. [90549]

October – F-secure. Virgin Media extended its partnership with F-secure to launch device level security solutions for its customers. F-Secure SAFE will provide browsing protection and parental controls for up to five devices, such as PCs, laptops, Macs, smartphones or tablets. [90236]

September – Homes passed figure end September 2013. Virgin Media stated in its Q3 2013 results that its network passed 12,531,500 homes at the end of September 2013. [90236]

September – ZTE Corporation. Virgin Media partnered with ZTE to bring the ZTE Blade V to its line-up of Pay As You Go smartphones. [90236]

June – The Weather Channel. Virgin Media partnered with The Weather Channel to launch a weather channel app that allows the users to get up to date weather information on TV, online as well as their Virgin Media mobile. [89525]

June – Liberty Global acquisition of Virgin Media complete. Liberty Global Plc announced that following shareholder and regulatory approvals, it had completed the previously announced acquisition of Virgin Media Inc in a stock and cash merger valued at approximately $24 billion. The company now provides video, voice and broadband services to 25 million customers located principally in 12 European countries. Tom Mockridge has been appointed CEO of Liberty Global, a public limited company organised under the laws of England, which is the new public parent company of Liberty Global, Inc. and Virgin Media. Liberty Global, Inc. and Virgin Media shares ceased trading at market close on 7 June 2013 and will be deregistered under securities laws. [88321]

June – Homes passed figure end June 2013. Under Liberty Global, Virgin Media stated in its Q2 2013 results that its network passed 12,490,200 homes at the end of June 2013. [89663]

2012 November – EE and Vodafone. Virgin Media signed up EE and Vodafone as wholesale partners for its WiFi service on London Underground. [86246]

October – Network coverage 13 million premises. VM now passes at least 13 million premises. It invested GBP 100 million in 2010 to add 500,000 homes which were delivered. This was the result of network expansion in parts of Leicester, Bolton, Southampton, Londonderry and West London including Staines. Each year Virgin Media continues to add 30,000 to 40,000 new build and infill homes. Virgin Media covers between a third and a half of new builds working with the housing companies. [85607]

July – Wi-fi. Virgin Media announced the launch of a new Wi-fi service on London’s Underground which is available at more than 40 tube stations. This will allow commuters to take advantage of the internet while on the go. [85293]

April – London Olympics. 18 April 2012: Virgin Media customers will be able to enjoy exclusive coverage from the London Olympics in SD, HD and even 3D. Customers can also enjoy interactive services using the red button from their TiVo.

April – 100 Mbps network upgrade complete. Virgin Media's entire network is now capable of 100 Mbps speeds after its upgrade was completed ahead of schedule. Originally due for completion in mid-2012, in early February 2012 Virgin Media’s 100 Mbps service was already available to over 10 million homes. The cable operator announced that the project had been completed in its quarterly results briefing in April 2012.

March – TiVo bundles. 30 March 2012: Virgin Media announced its plans to launch new bundles of TiVo Service and high speed broadband. Customers will now have many more options to choose from while also being able to upgrade for little or no costs.

March – London tube stations. 14 March 2012: Virgin Media was awarded the contract to deploy Wi-Fi services at London's tube stations. Users will be able to access these services free of cost.

12/02/14 © Point Topic 2014 3 / 12 Point Topic Virgin Media Broadband Profile

March – New TiVo features. 2 March 2012: Virgin Media announced that its TiVo customers will now be able to enjoy many new interactive services through the red button. From exclusive content to extended highlights, Sky Sports and Sky Sports HD customers will have many more features at their fingertips.

March – Doubling speeds programme begins. In March 2012 Virgin Media began doubling broadband speeds to over four million customers free of charge and with no new contracts required. This followed the introduction of higher upload speeds as of September 2011, again provided free of charge. Current 10 Mbps, 20 Mbps, 30 Mbps and 50 Mbps services will be doubled while the operator’s 100 Mbps customers will see an increase of 20 Mbps. Upgrades will take place over 18 months and began in Newcastle, Ipswich, Dundee, Belfast and Cambridge.

January – Formula 1. 16 January 2012: Virgin Media added the new Formula 1 channel from Sky Sports for its TV customers.

January – Increased broadband speeds. 11 January 2012: Virgin Media announced its plan to offer broadband speeds up to 120 Mbps to its customers with a mass roll out of the new services beginning 2012 till mid-2013. The operator is promising to double the existing broadband speeds for its customers. The roll out is planned on its NGN network.

2011 December – BBC . 19 December 2011: Virgin Media partnered with BBC to bring next-generation BBC TV services to the Virgin Media TiVo Service in 2012.

December – Security software suite update. 8 December 2011: Virgin Media released a new update of its Virgin Media Security software suite, providing customers with the latest in anti-malware technology to help protect families against cyber crimes.

November – BoxNation . 23 November 2011: Virgin Media signed a new deal with BoxNation to add premium sports channel BoxNation to its TV line-up.

October – PBS. 28 October 2011: Virgin Media added PBS content to its TV service. The content from PBS will be available across Virgin Media's TV On Demand service, Virgin Media Online as well as Mobile Player.

October – Sky Anytime. 12 October 2011: Virgin Media and Sky joined hands to offer Sky Anytime on Virgin Media's TV On Demand service. The viewers will now have access to thousands of hours of films, shows, sport and news from Sky.

October – Orange and T-Mobile . 7 October 2011: Virgin Media partnered with Orange and T-Mobile mobile network operators wherein the mobile customers of the former will have access to the networks of the latter. This will offer wider reach and connectivity to the mobile users of Virgin Media.

October – New HD channels. 4 October 2011: Virgin Media TV announced its plans to add five new HD channels - Eden HD, Eden +1, Good Food HD, Yesterday +1, Watch HD, Dave HD, with Alibi HD to its channel line-up in 2012.

September – National Media Museum. 29 September 2011: Virgin Media signed a three year deal with National Media Museum to become the title sponsor of the Bradford International Film Festival. This will benefit the TV customers of the operator with increased content to view.

August – Discovery 3D . 5 August 2011: Virgin Media added Discovery 3D content to its on demand library.

July – TV Guide app. 11 July 2011: Virgin Media launched the Virgin Media TV Guide smartphone app, enabling its customers using Android phones to access their TV guide and program information on their phones.

July – Spotify . 6 July 2011: Virgin Media signed an exclusive agreement with digital music service Spotify to offer the music platform across multiple services to its customers. Spotify's music catalogue of over 13 million tracks will now be available to Virgin Media's customers.

June – 100 Mbps broadband service expands. 100 Mbps broadband service in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire; Hatfield, Hertfordshire;Pentwyn, Cardiff, Wales;Southport, Merseyside; and Treforest, Rhondda Cynon Taf,

12/02/14 © Point Topic 2014 4 / 12 Point Topic Virgin Media Broadband Profile

Wales

June – Virgin Media's 100 Mbps broadband service now reaches to 25% of the UK, passing about 6.5 million homes. .

May – Eurosport . 16 May 2011: Virgin Media planned to broadcast the French Open in 3D using Eurosport. This will make it the ideal choice for sports fans, since it also includes HD and SD of Sky sports, Eurosport and ESPN.

April – Network testing. 24 April 2011: Virgin Media announced the testing of their cable network, which will provide speeds of upto 1.5 Gbps. The high speeds will enable users to access more interactive services.

April – Cinémoi. 19 April 2011: Virgin Media will be covering this year's Cannes Film Festival, with the help of Cinémoi. It will include exclusive interviews and news for the audience.

April – 3D movies. 18 April 2011: Virgin Media added new 3D movies in their on-demand service. This will be the first time that such movies are being made available to viewers.

April – Sky . 7 April 2011: Virgin Media added Sky 1 HD and 2 HD to their services, thereby expanding on the content that they are offering to their customers.

April – Asian Mela. 1 April 2011: Virgin Media launched "Asian Mela", a mix of all their Asian content at GBP 11.00 per month for its users.

March – 1 billion on Demand views. 2 March 2011: Virgin Media announced that its On Demand service is the third most popular channel and that total On Demand views for 2011 will touch 1 billion.

February – ESPN. 11 February 2011: Virgin Media expanded its VOD library by adding ESPN Classic on Demand titles for its customers.

February – 30 Mbps service launch. 2 February 2011: Virgin Media launched a new broadband service which will allow its customers access to speeds up to 30 Mbps. Customers who also take the home phone service from Virgin Media will get this service at discounted prices.

January – Internal sales team alignment. 18 January 2011: Virgin Media realigned its in-house Digital Sales team, which will now be responsible for all online, mobile and TV related advertising.

2010 November – Heroes and Villians on Demand . 12 November 2010: Virgin Media will treat their customers to blockbuster movies and shows with their Heroes and Villians On Demand special this month.

November – Channel 5 . 11 November 2010: Virgin Media partnered with Channel 5 to add their programming to its On Demand channel line up across all platforms. Customers will be able to enjoy the popular programmes from Channel 5 on their mobiles, online and on their TVs.

November – TiVO . 3 November 2010: Virgin Media revealed that their new HD / 3D set top box to be launched with TiVO will provide 1 TB storage, along with access to hundreds of hours of 3D and HD programming.

October – NBC Universal . 25 October 2010: Virgin Media partnered with NBC Universal to offer NBC titles to its On Demand customers. Customers will be able to view their favourite programming over the Internet, on their mobiles and on TV.

October – Horror programming. 13 October 2010: Virgin Media offered its On Demand customers access to the best of horror and sci-fi programming in the month of October. Customers could enjoy their favourite Halloween programming in HD.

September – Sky1 HD. 29 September 2010: Virgin Media enhanced its HD offering with the addition of Sky1 HD to its line up. XL TV customers will have access to this channel at no cost.

September – 3D Movies. 28 September 2010: Virgin Media launched its 3D Movies On Demand service.

12/02/14 © Point Topic 2014 5 / 12 Point Topic Virgin Media Broadband Profile

Customers with access to 3D TVs can enjoy the content at their convenience.

August – Malware campaign. 16 August 2010: Virgin Media announced that it would help its customers avoid malware attacks by launching a campaign to educate them. Customers can scan their PCs for free and prevent attacks on/ damage to their data.

August – Comedy Central. 5 August 2010: Virgin Media customers can now enjoy their favorite comedies in High Definition, with the launch of Comedy Central in HD and on Demand.

July – Beta version launch of Virgin Media Player. 27 July 2010: Virgin Media launched the beta version of its online and mobile TV player - Virgin Media Player. TV customers subscribing to the XL package as well as broadband can participate in this trial.

July – Broadband trials over electricity poles. 27 July 2010: Virgin Media partnered with Surf Telecoms to conduct a trial of high speed broadband over existing electricity poles. The first trial would be conducted in the Welsh village of Crumlin and is expected to start in August 2010. Once finished, over a million homes will be able to get access to super fast Internet.

July – Five HD. 13 July 2010: Virgin Media added the Five HD channel to its current lineup. Customers can now enjoy all the programming offered by the channel free of charge.

July – Sale of VMtv . 13 July 2010: Virgin Media announced the completion of the sale of VMtv to Sky for a total consideration of GBP 160 million. VMtv has now been renamed 'Living TV Group.'

June – Price reduction. 11 June 2010: Virgin Media announced that its customers can now enjoy Sky's premium Sports and Movie Channel packages at much lower prices, saving up to GBP 9.00 per month.

May – Cannes Film Festival. 6 May 2010: Virgin Media announced that its TV on Demand customers can enjoy exclusive content from the Cannes Film Festival throughout the month of May. Customers have access to the best in programming, including shows in HD.

April – HD Ad campaign. 30 April 2010: Virgin Media launched its first High Definition advertising campaign on TV. The ad is aimed at expanding its HD market and educating users about the HD experience.

April – Virgin Media Online movies. 26 April 2010: Virgin Media launched Virgin Media Online movies, its first online movie service. Customers can stream the films of their choice whenever they want directly on their computers and TVs.

March – Sci Fi channel in HD. 15 March 2010: Virgin Media customers can now enjoy their sixth HD channel. The Sci Fi channel has been launched in association with United Networks International and will allow customers access to some of the best HD programming available.

March – ITV1 HD . 12 March 2010: Virgin Media will be launching ITV1 HD for its digital TV customers. Viewers will have access World Cup football matches in HD.

March – 50 Mbps service trials . 11 March 2010: Virgin Media commenced the trial of its 50 Mbps fibre optic broadband service in Berkshire. This will allow customers access to considerably faster Internet speeds, as well as an option to enjoy Virgin Media's TV service.

March – Film4. 8 March 2010: Virgin Media digital TV customers will now be able to watch Film4 in High Definition. Customers now have exclusive access to some of the best movies and programmes.

March – Turner Broadcasting. 1 March 2010: Virgin Media entered into an agreement with Turner Broadcasting to provide its digital TV customers access to the cartoon channel Cartoonito. Customers can also access the content through their mobiles and as well as via Internet.

2009 December – Mobile Broadband USB modem. 1 December 2009: Virgin Media launched a mobile USB broadband modem capable of delivering speeds up to 7.2 Mbps. Customers now have access to high speed Internet, even while on the go.

12/02/14 © Point Topic 2014 6 / 12 Point Topic Virgin Media Broadband Profile

November – LIVING, Virgin 1 and Bravo on Demand. 25 November 2009: Virgin Media launched dynamic advertising on its on demand TV platform, in conjunction with LIVING, Virgin 1 and Bravo on Demand. Advertisements from leading brands would be rolled out on the on demand channel by the operator reaching out to 3.7 million households.

November – TiVo . 24 November 2009: Virgin Media partnered with TiVo to develop the operator's next generation TV platform. As per the deal, TiVo will develop a converged television and broadband interactive interface for Virgin Media which would be compatible with the HD set top boxes of the operator.

November – TV programmes. 19 November 2009: Virgin Media added a number of top TV programs to its channel line-up, giving more options to its customers to watch their favorite programs.

September – LIVING . 25 September 2009: Virgin Media added LIVING to its HD channel line-up offering various popular shows to its customers.

September – Disney . 17 September 2009: Virgin Media partnered with Disney to offer new kids' content on three entertainment platforms of the operator. The deal includes broadcasting the newly launched Disney XD channel as well as HD programming.

July – Unlimited mobile broadband plan. 30 July 2009: Virgin Media announced the launch of a new unlimited mobile broadband plan which will offer its customers unlimited text, voice calls and Internet at GBP 65 per month only. Customers will have to sign an 18 month agreement to get this value for money offering.

July – ESPN . 29 July 2009: Virgin Media signed a deal with ESPN to allow its Digital TV customers access to live coverage of the Premier League football matches at no extra cost. Customers will now have access to the best in sports programming in standard as well as HD.

July – PictureBox. 29 July 2009: Virgin Media announced the launch of PictureBox, an On Demand TV service. This service launched in conjunction with Universal Pictures, will allow customers access to a large selection of new and classic hit movies.

July – SamKnows. 23 July 2009: Virgin Media and SamKnows will conduct a twelve month long performance test of its fibre optic broadband service. This initiative has been taken by Virgin Media to ensure that it delivers value for money to its customers.

July – HD channel launch plans. 13 July 2009: Virgin Media announced that it would shortly launch four new HD channels for its Digital TV customers. Customers would soon get access to popular and critically acclaimed programs on the, to be launched, Living, FX, MTV and National Geographic channels.

June – Universal Music . 15 June 2009: Virgin Media announced that it would be partnering with Universal Music to design a service which will allow its broadband customers to download music from Universal's entire music library. This service will be available at a monthly subscription fee.

June – jPod . 2 June 2009: Virgin Media announced the availability of the Comedy drama jPod on its on Demand library. British customers can now get access to the episodes of this very popular Canadian program.

May – New retail stores. 31 May 2009: Virgin Media planned to open more retail stores in the next three years to increase its visibility and customers' convenience in getting Virgin Media's products and services.

May – Change in FUP. 14 May 2009: Virgin Media announced new download limits for its volume based and unlimited broadband services. The daily usage allowances are part of the FUP of the operator. If the customers exceed their usage allowance, the speed will be capped to a lower speed.

May – 200 Mbps field trial. 6 May 2009: Virgin Media launched a customer pilot deploying a 200 Mbps broadband service. The service deployment is enabled by the implementation of DOCSIS 3.0 technology. If successful, it will be the most advanced broadband service in the UK.

May – BBC . 1 May 2009: Virgin Media enhanced its HD library by launching HD content on BBC iPlayer for its TV customers.

April – Dexter Season 3 . 22 April 2009: Virgin Media added Dexter Season 3 to its HD library.

April – Google. 15 April 2009: Virgin Media, jointly with Google, offered enhanced email services to its

12/02/14 © Point Topic 2014 7 / 12 Point Topic Virgin Media Broadband Profile

residential broadband customers. The email comes with 7 GB storage and other Google communication and collaboration applications.

April – Spin-off of sit-up Ltd.. 1 April 2009: Virgin Media sold off its home shopping network, sit-up Ltd, to AURELIUS. However, this did not make any substantial changes to the cash flows of the company.

February – New on demand titles. 2 February 2009: Virgin Media launched a new Sci-Fi and Fantasy section for its On-Demand customers. Customers now have access to up to 150 hours of content like Star Trek, Terminator etc.

January – Research for new on Demand title. 23 January 2009: Virgin Media announced that they are conducting research for their plans to launch an on demand TV section that would appeal to Dogs as well their users.

January – Setanta Replay. 19 January 2009: Virgin Media announced the launch of Setanta Replay, an on demand range of top sports events for its 3.5 million TY customers. With this launch subscribers will not miss any of the big games.

January – ITV . 8 January 2009: Virgin Media customers will now have On Demand access to thousands of hours of ITV content. Viewers can choose from award winning documentaries, popular shows and even HD content.

January – 50 Mbps service ad campaign. 2 January 2009: Virgin Media announced that it's much awaited 50 MB advertising campaign promoting its ultra-fast broadband service, starring Samuel L. Jackson would be aired from tomorrow onwards. This service was launched on the 15th of December 2008 and is UK's fastest broadband service.

2008 December – Ofcom voluntary code. 5 December 2008: Virgin Media signed a new Ofcom voluntary code to be more transparent in its communication with the customers. As per the code, the operator is required to inform the customer the true broadband speed the customer's line can support and what factors would result in loss of speed for the customer. The code also requires the operator to explain the fair usage policy to its customers and alert them when they have been violated.

December – Reduction in VAT.

November – Speed boost launch. 19 November 2008: Virgin Media offered a speed boost on its ADSL service doubling its existing speed. The customers can add the boost for GBP 5 per month to increase their speeds of ADSL service from 8 Mbps to 16 Mbps.

November – BSkyB . 4 November 2008: Virgin Media and BSkyB joined hands to offer each other's basic TV channels to their respective clientele. Sky would broadcast Virgin Media's Living, Living 2, Bravo, Bravo 2, Trouble, Challenge and Virgin 1 channels while it would offer its Sky1, Sky2, Sky3, Sky News, Sky Sports News, Sky Arts 1, Sky Arts 2, Sky Real Lives and Sky Real Lives 2 channels on Virgin's channels.

October – Go Diego Go! launch. 30 October 2008: Virgin Media offered a feature-length episode of "Go Diego Go!" animated series to its TV customers. The episode will be broadcasted before it comes on linear TV and enhances Virgin Media's kids programming library.

October – Advertising trials on on Demand platform. 13 October 2008: Virgin Media conducted dynamic advertising trials on its on demand platform by broadcasting ads from Kelloggs, Royal Mail and John Lewis on selected on demand programs. The three month trial would include broadcasting these ads before and after the on demand content.

October – TV Diet program. 11 October 2008: Virgin Media launched TV Diet program for its customers.

October – Launch of mobile broadband. 1 October 2008: Virgin Media launched mobile broadband in the UK markets. The service comes with an 18 month contract and can be added to the customer's existing bundle.

August – Playlouder. 14 August 2008: Virgin Media planned to sign a deal with Playlouder to offer music

12/02/14 © Point Topic 2014 8 / 12 Point Topic Virgin Media Broadband Profile

downloads to its customers. The music can be downloaded over peer-to-peer (p2p) networks at a price.

August – Perform . 6 August 2008: Virgin Media signed a deal with Perform to offer sports related material such as news, interviews and action on football, tennis, golf, motorsport, etc to its customers. The programs would be available on demand through a Sport portal launched by the operator.

August – Spin-off plans. In Q108, Virgin Media indicated that it would be aiming to concentrate its resources more on developing its cable broadband and related businesses. According to press reports it has appointed advisers to find a buyer for its TV business and it is reducing emphasis on its off-net ADSL business. Following this announcement, on 5 August 2008, Virgin Media indicated that it is expecting to raise GBP 600 million by spinning off its business division ntl:Telewst. The money raised would be utilized to roll out DOCSIS 3.0 across its network. Virgin's operations with Thus Plc are already sold off to Cable & Wireless for GBP 329 million.

July – Top 12 short films launch. 29 July 2008: Virgin Media launched its top 12 short films as a result of its film championship competition. The films would be available through all the four platforms of the operator - TV, cinema, mobile and computer.

July – New titles. 3 July 2008: Virgin Media launched new On Demand titles including ER pilot movie premieres, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Private Practice, etc.

June – Saavn . 26 June 2008: Virgin Media signed an agreement with Saavn to offer Bollywood movies on demand to its video customers. It will showcase all the latest titles as well.

May – Short film competition. 1 May 2008: Virgin Media launched a short film competition to be run on all four screens - mobile, TV, cinema and computer. This is yet another effort by the company to get its customers involved with its services.

April – BBC. 30 Apr 2008: Virgin media and BBC announced the launch of the BBC iPlayer onVirgin Media's On Demand service. This service can be accessed by Virgin Media's Electronic Programme Guide (EPG).

April – Online security tips. 10 Apr 2008: Virgin Media offered handy wireless security tips to its users. The operator intends to make the online experience safe and fun for its wireless customers without having to face any online threats.

April – HD content. 8 Apr 2008: Virgin Media added Band of Brothers, Sopranos and other top HBO programs in HD to its On Demand content library.

March – Arsenal TV. 14 Mar 2008: Virgin media launched Arsenal TV for its cable customers. Customers can now watch games, previews, post match analysis as well as Arsenal Ladies and Under 18 team games.

March – Divestment in cable TV. 2 Mar 2008: Virgin Media was reported as aiming to sell its TV operations, to concentrate on its broadband services. The divestment would also provide a part of the funding required by the operator to deploy a 50 Mbps broadband service.

February – TV campaign. 29 Feb 2008: Virgin Media rolled out an advertising campaign promoting its TV service featuring a Hollywood celebrity Samuel L Jackson.

February – Divestment in ADSL service. 7 Feb 2008: Virgin Media announced it would downsize its ADSL broadband portfolio to concentrate on deploying its 50 Mbps cable broadband service.

February – Phones 4u. 4 Feb 2008: Virgin Media partnered with Phones 4u to showcase its range of services in six stores of the latter. The operator plans to conduct this trial for six months and if successful, will extend it to other stores of Phones 4u.

January – 'Hate To Wait?' campaign. 29 Jan 2008: Virgin Media launched a new broadband campaign - 'Hate To Wait?' highlighting its high speed broadband services for the prospective consumers. The operator also announced its plans to launch a 50 Mbps broadband service by the end of 2008.

January – Speed upgrade to 10 Mbps. 28 Jan 2008: Virgin Media announced to upgrade its 4 Mbps customers to 10 Mbps speed at no additional cost. The upgrade program was rolled out in February 2008 and is expected to be completed by the late summer.

12/02/14 © Point Topic 2014 9 / 12 Point Topic Virgin Media Broadband Profile

2007 December – Market positioning (consumer). As of December 2007, Virgin Media was offering no less than 16 different consumer broadband packages. The wide range was made necessary by the need to cater for both cable and non-cable customers and the full range of bundle options which the group is able to offer. The standalone products are the Size L, M and XL cable modem options and the 1Mbps and 8Mbps Unlimited Broadband packages for DSL service. The bundled products include six different cable area packages combining various combinations of Pay TV, Fixed Phone and Mobile Phone services with the cheapest Size M cable broadband package. These are capped with the 'VIP' and 'VIP-C' packages which provide Size XL broadband with three-way and four-way bundles respectively. VIP-C (C for complete) adds mobile to the broadband, phone and TV package. Three other 'Unlimited + Talk' bundles offer different grades of DSL broadband combined with telephone minutes.

November – Setanta Sports. On 29 November 2007, Virgin Media in collaboration with Setanta Sports, announced the launch of their free to air, 24 hour sports channel, Setanta Sports News. This channel aims to provide a fresh approach to sports news, making it more interactive and interesting for their customers.

November – Christmas offer . On 27 November 2007, Virgin Media launched a Christmas offer of 50% discount on its HD ready V+ Box that allows customers to record up to 80 hours of programs. This offer is valid till 31 December 2007.

November – National Geographic and Discovery channels. On 15 November 2007, Virgin Media expanded their on demand bouquet with the addition of National Geographic and Discovery channels.

October – Technicians on bikes. On 29 October 2007,Virgin media announced that it plans to add motorbike riding service technicians to the existing fleet of vans, to deal with the traffic congestion in London .This will greatly reduce the technician response times to the customers enabling higher customer satisfaction and greater efficiency.

October – CSC Media Group Ltd (CSC) and Sparrowhawk Media Group . On 23 October 2007, Virgin media announced the addition of kids, movie and entertainment channels from CSC Media Group Ltd (CSC) and Sparrowhawk Media Group to its already existing channel offerings.

October – Interactive BBC radio . On 11 October 2007, Virgin Media enriched its video portfolio by giving their customers access to interactive BBC radio though their television sets.

October – Channel 4. On 8 October 2007, Virgin Media signed an agreement with Channel 4 to provide Virgin's on demand customers, access to programs in HD format.

August – Setanta Sports Channels . On 29 August 2007, Virgin Media offered three Setanta Sports Channels for free to its TV customers, enhancing the value for sports viewers. Before this, on 20 July 2007, Virgin Media and Setanta Sports jointly launched six Setanta Sports Channels as part of the Virgin Media's XL basic TV package for free.

July – Setanta Sports . On 26 July 2007, Virgin Media and Setanta Sports jointly launched a new channel - Setanta Sports News, a free sports news channel as part of its "basic" TV package. Virgin Media also revamped a sports website portal to offer 360 degrees sports experience to its customers. The portal includes highlights of the games as well as on demand facility to watch them after they have been telecasted.

July – The Football League . On 6 July 2007, Virgin Media signed a two year deal with The Football League to offer highlights of Football League matches till up to one week after the match on its broadband and mobile phone platforms.

July – First Light Movies . On 5 July 2007, Virgin Media teamed up with First Light Movies to screen films by young filmmakers from the 2007 First Light Movies Awards. The short digital movies will be available on Virgin Media TV's on demand service. A select few films would also be available as free downloads for both broadband and mobile telephony customers of the operator.

July – 40 day movie marathon . On 3 July 2007, Virgin Media launched a 40 day movie watching marathon at the Oxford Street Virgin Megastore. Through this film festival, Virgin TV aims to demonstrate its vast TV offering through the on-demand FilmFlex library.

June – Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha British Superbike . On 27 June 2007, Virgin Media unveiled a

12/02/14 © Point Topic 2014 10 / 12 Point Topic Virgin Media Broadband Profile

special tartan look for the Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha British Superbike to participate in Scotland's leg of the British Superbikes event.

June – New TV channel. On 12 June 2007, Virgin Media announced the launch of Virgin 1, the first Virgin branded TV channel to be aired for free. The new channel launch is a strategic move by the company to strengthen its position across free, pay and on-demand digital TV platform as well as to capture international programming.

June – "Bollywood in the Park" offer . On 5 June 2007, Virgin Media announced "Bollywood in the Park" offer at Roundhay, Leeds Mela. The offer includes a five day all expenses paid trip for two to Mumbai to watch the final of Indian Idol.

June – Strategic review of the company. During the Summer of 2007 several private equity organisations considered the possible acquisition of Virgin Media, and the group indicated that it was willing to consider an outright sale. But the arrival of the credit crunch made it clear that funds were unlikely to be available for such a massive deal and the idea was put aside.

June – Service launch. Combines the cable network from NTL and Telewest with the DSL customer base from Virgin Net in Q107

June – Telewest cable element. A hybrid fibre / coaxial (HFC) network. The network consists of three parts - local distribution network, national network linking the local distribution points and IP network overlaying the national network. Telewest provides a two-way broadband network with bandwidth 750 MHz. Telewest's network consists of 60 telephony switches, 18 analogue head-ends, a national digital head-end, a national data centre, 60,000 km of fibre and coaxial cable, and various high-capacity electronics.

May – Cable & Wireless . On 17 May 2007, Virgin Media signed a four year agreement with Cable & Wireless announcing the latter to be its exclusive unbundled local loop (LLU) network provider on wholesale basis till 2011. The deal will give the operator access to additional four million homes in regions currently not covered by it as well as quadplay services to 50 percent of households outside its cable network.

May – James Bond collection. On 16 May 2007, Virgin Media added all 21 James Bond movies to its VOD library, with the premiere of the latest James Bond movie, Casino Royale, on its TV on demand service. Each title is available for download at 2.50 GBP for a 24 hour rental.

April – DTT Launch. April 2007: Virgin Media launched digital terrestrial television (DTT), a digital TV service for the regions beyond its cable franchise network. The service is deployed over DTT platform and uses a set- top box at consumers' end to deliver digital channels. The launch of this service is in sync with the company's strategic plan to expand its quadruple play services of broadband, phone, mobile and TV.

March – 'Penny Movie Festival'. On 23 March 2007, Virgin Media launch 'Penny Movie Festival' for its Digital TV customers, where in they vote for their favorite movie title out of a choice of 15 each week and the favorite is available for 1p the following week. The other titles during the promotion time cost between 50p and £3.75.

March – Big Brother 8 sponsorship. On 21 March 2007, Virgin Media partnered with Channel 4 for the exclusive sponsorship of Big Brother 8 in the UK.

March – Yamaha British Superbike team sponsorship. On 16 March 2007, Virgin Media partnered with Yamaha to be the official sponsor of the Yamaha British Superbike team for 2007. The Virgin Mobile Cup awarded to the Yamaha British Superbike topper will also be relaunched as the Virgin Media Cup.

March – Speeds increase to 20 Mbps. On 15 March 2007, Virgin Media announced it would double the downstream/upstream speed of its 'XL' cable broadband service, from 10 Mbps to 20 Mbps/768 Kbps from May 2007, with an increase of monthly rental from 35 GBP to 37 GBP.

2006 June – Rebrand. Virgin Media was formed from 4 companies. NTL and Telewest merged in 2006, and bought Virgin Mobile. Then in early 2007 NTL/Telewest rebranded as Virgin Media and absorbed VirginNet

March – Aquisition of Telewest by NTL. In March 2006, Telewest Communications was acquired by NTL UK for GBP 3.4 billion. The combined company has been named NTL Incorporated.

12/02/14 © Point Topic 2014 11 / 12 Point Topic Virgin Media Broadband Profile

12/02/14 © Point Topic 2014 12 / 12