ntl:Telewest and Virgin Mobile to become Virgin Media
Back in July we reported on the quadplay deal from ntl:Telewest and Virgin Mobile which launched back in September for £40 per month, and providing TV, landline and mobile telephony, and broadband.
Well, deciding that it was too much of a mouthful to mention all those companies each time, the new brand – described as an ‘exciting new presence in the UK media market’ – is Virgin Media.
Virgin Media is promising to live up to Virgin’s long-established reputation for offering world class customer service. At least, that’s what they say. What it means is that the company has committed £5m this year to improve customer care, prior to launching the brand.
Steve Burch, president and chief executive officer, ntl said: “Virgin Media will shake up the market by bringing the Virgin traditions of value-for-money, brilliant customer service and innovation to the world of entertainment and communications. While work remains to be done between now and the re-brand, our decision to announce its name and logo today is a reflection of my confidence that we’re well on the way to creating an organisation that can live up to this vision by consistently putting the consumer first.”
Gordon McCallum, chief executive officer of Virgin Management Limited and ntl Board member added: “Taking on the Virgin brand is about much more than a new name and logo above the door. ntl Telewest’s management team has consistently demonstrated that it understands this and the commitment that’s needed to succeed. Much has already been achieved and we’re confident that the company’s on track to deliver the Virgin promise when we re-brand next year.”
Well, that’s all the corporate talk. I made my feelings known about this potential ‘eggs in one basket’ scenario in the previous article but it does seem to be the way many companies are taking things as they seek to take over your communications needs.
For now, we get a nice new logo. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to the other products currently on offer from ntl:Telewest and Virgin Mobile. It’s all systems go from early 2007.
