Virgin Media lost 63,800 television subscribers in the United Kingdom in the third quarter of 2020. It was its eighth consecutive quarterly loss, reducing its total to 3.53 million. However, it gained 47,000 internet customers, growing its customer relationships by 37,600 to 5.58 million. It can now reach 45% of its cable footprint at gigabit rates and is aiming for coverage across its network by the end of 2021.
The Virgin TV 360 service has begun deployment in Ireland and is due to be launched in the United Kingdom in the fourth quarter. It works across multiple screens and voice search and offers control, an updated user-interface and the ability to create individual profiles enabling personalisation.
Parent company Liberty Global lost 60,200 enhanced video subscribers across its group in the third quarter. The United Kingdom accounted for the majority of these customer losses.
In Ireland, subscriber numbers rose by a modest 7,700, taking the total to 303,900.
Having divested services in a number of territories, Liberty Global has a total of 7.32 million enhanced video subscribers across its remaining footprint in Europe, or 8.01 million including basic video subscribers. It has 9.49 million internet subscribers, having gained 70,500 in the third quarter.
In the Netherlands, Liberty Global also has an equal joint venture in Vodafone Ziggo. There it lost 18,500 video subscribers in the third quarter, ending with a total of 3.35 million.
Liberty Global chief executive Mike Fries described the company performance as “our best quarterly result in over three years”.
He said the company was “making progress” with regulators on its joint venture with Telefonica’s O2 in the United Kingdom and expects this to complete in mid-2021.
The acquisition of Sunrise in Switzerland is now set to close mid- November after over 96% of shares were tendered and the deal was approved by Swiss regulators.