US Cable Giant Liberty Global buys Virgin Media

[MalteseFalcon]

Originally Posted by telfordcable

Don't care, bye bye Virgin Media! Glad I left them!

If that's how you feel about Virgin, then why bother posting in a story about them? I just hope if they do get taken over, the new owners don't start putting prices up more than the current owners do. I have a horrible feeling that it could well end up meaning SKY are the cheapest company for BB, TV and phone.

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by MarkC1984

If that's how you feel about Virgin, then why bother posting in a story about them? I just hope if they do get taken over, the new owners don't start putting prices up more than the current owners do. I have a horrible feeling that it could well end up meaning SKY are the cheapest company for BB, TV and phone.

That wouldn't make sense to me. Why buy a company and then devalue that company by making people leave?

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by telfordcable

Don't care, bye bye Virgin Media! Glad I left them!

Another bull excreta post from Telford cable.

[Nemeth]

I had cable through UPC-cablecom (another Liberty subsidiary) in Switzerland last year and it put my current VM connection to shame. Reliable network, better service, and while I read some gripes about their customer service (as you'd expect with anyone) for me they were great to deal with. I'd expect them to be better than the current VM regime.

Virginmedia need a buyer, when they had the chance to stride a head they wasted it and now everyone has caught up and over taken. Their reputation is poor, very poor and they know it.

A buyer with deep pockets and a name change, perhaps a long the way lose the debt and they could have a bright future. It appears at the moment to be run by marketing men who just want to sell sell sell. Get those 18 month contracts sold, say whatever it takes then worry about anything else later.

[Nemeth]

Originally Posted by MarkC1984

I just hope if they do get taken over, the new owners don't start putting prices up more than the current owners do.

I'd actually like VM to put their prices up, if it meant investing in the parts of the network that need it.

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by Nemeth

I had cable through UPC-cablecom (another Liberty subsidiary) in Switzerland last year and it put my current VM connection to shame. Reliable network, better service, and while I read some gripes about their customer service (as you'd expect with anyone) for me they were great to deal with. I'd expect them to be better than the current VM regime.

You can't really compare cable in one company with cable in another.

The history of the two will be significantly different i.e. different finanicals, different historical technology choices, different regulatory rules etc

Reading into that it seems Liberty global has $26 billion in debts lol, oh well...

Originally Posted by Bogof

Virginmedia need a buyer, when they had the chance to stride a head they wasted it and now everyone has caught up and over taken. Their reputation is poor, very poor and they know it.

A buyer with deep pockets and a name change, perhaps a long the way lose the debt and they could have a bright future. It appears at the moment to be run by marketing men who just want to sell sell sell. Get those 18 month contracts sold, say whatever it takes then worry about anything else later.

Not sure about their reputation being poor as thet are growing at a faster pace than ever before and win a number of awards?

Also don't think they will change the name, however I would expect a lot more investment in the network and products. There is loads of scope for growth in both their Business and Consumer areas, as they have approx 40% of customers taking services in areas they serve.

[Nemeth]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

You can't really compare cable in one company with cable in another.

I know, but you can compare strategies. My perception of VM is of a company that's been competing in a race to the bottom in terms of price and quality. That wasn't the impression I got with cablecom.

[telfordcable]

I expecting Liberty will put a limit download cap and increasing price if they take over virgin media! but hold on there, doubled speed plan could be no longer in force!

Originally Posted by telfordcable

Don't care, bye bye Virgin Media! Glad I left them!

strangely enough, they probably felt the same way....

[Arthurgray50@blu]

If l am not wrong, last year l said that VM needed a new owner to give customers better options. When l was in America a few years ago, the Cable Tv was very good and my god the amount of channels you could watch was unreal, ie like Gold, there is a channel there that shows old shows from the past brilliant.

I believe that this is what customers want, and could be why we have had no new channels.

I have read the reports and l think its is good for the customers, and they will fight Sky for top spot - l think it is great news, get rid of all the crap info that we get fed from the company.

I suppose the good thing is that Sir Richard will get a nice cut of the money.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Nemeth

I had cable through UPC-cablecom (another Liberty subsidiary) in Switzerland last year and it put my current VM connection to shame. Reliable network, better service, and while I read some gripes about their customer service (as you'd expect with anyone) for me they were great to deal with. I'd expect them to be better than the current VM regime.

Yes it'll be complete 360 in some ways.

NTL sold NTL:Eire to UPC to help finance the merger with TW and ultimately the formation of Virgin Media.

And now looks like the two companies may be reunited again under the UPC umbrella..

[Gavin-D]

Confirmed on Sky News now

Virgin Media Eyes Sale To US-Based Cable Firm

Virgin Media has confirmed it is in talks about a possible sale of the company to the US cable group Liberty Global.

Almost 5 millions households in the UK subscribe to Virgin's broadband, television and landline services.

Virgin also has some 3 million mobile phone customers in Britain.

Sir Richard Branson owns a 3% stake in Virgin Media and the company is listed in New York, with a secondary listing in London.

The company's share price soared this morning on news of the late-stage talks, with the price up 14% in early trading.

US-based Liberty Global operates in 13 territories and has sought to expand its base in European countries.

Virgin Media is the second pay-TV group in Britain behind BSkyB, the parent company of Sky News, and has been valued at around $20bn (£13bn).

The talks were confirmed by Virgin Media in a brief statement.

It currently has around $9bn (£5.7bn) of debt.

Liberty has recently increased its stake in Belgian operator Telenet to 58 percent and owns other consumer brandsacross Europe including UPC, Unitymedia, Kabel BW and VTR.

It also owns a content and channels group called Chellomedia.

http://news.sky.com/story/1047765/vi...sed-cable-firm