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VM boss backs VoD and fibre.

Virgin Media chief executive Tom Mockridge has restated that high-speed broadband is at the heart of the business and revealed plans to ramp up VoD services.

“We are going to stay unambiguously in front on broadband,” said Mockridge, speaking extensively for the first time since his appointment in May in the wake of Liberty Global’s $23.3bn (£15bn) takeover of the cable company. “Our HFC [hybrid fibre cable] network is the heart of the business.”

In terms of programming and channels, the 58-year-old New Zealander believes that Virgin Media can “pick and choose” what it needs from third parties, rather than creating content itself.

He also hinted at tougher channel carriage negotiations for TV providers that want to be on the Virgin network, saying: “We are not going to be able to support every entrepreneurial venture.”

Mockridge is proud of VM’s pioneering deal to offer Netflix via its TiVo boxes, alongside Virgin’s other VoD offers. This is part of the content business that Mockridge is keen to develop further. “The Netflix deal is not transformative but it is another piece of having a comprehensive offer,” Mockridge explained.

Mockridge is also willing to spend when necessary. One of his first big programming negotiations was for BT Sport, reaching a deal that is understood to be worth £70m over the next three years.

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/m...063639.article