Preview

Virgin Media - Marketing Mix

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1495 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Virgin Media - Marketing Mix
Virgin Media

Virgin Media began trading in early 2007, as a result of a merger between cable operator NTL:Telewest, and acquisitions of the VirginNet internet service provider, and Virgin Mobile. At launch, the new company heralded itself as being the first single provider of ‘quad-play' (four-service) media in the UK. It has a strong marketing campaign and its broadband service in particular is popular with British customers, with the second – largest subscriber base in the United Kingdom.

Product

Virgin Media's products are predominantly intangible services. The company's product range includes landline telephone services, broadband internet, digital television, and mobile phone solutions. From the company's beginnings as two small cable companies (International CableTel, latterly NTL, and Croydon Cable, latterly Telewest), a series of mergers & acquisitions have seen the company develop into one of the leading media providers within the UK.

Virgin markets itself largely by publicising its unique selling points – areas in which BSkyB, the largest pay-tv company in the UK, and Virgin's main rival – cannot compete. These areas include ‘On Demand' video through a customer's set top box, which can be paused, rewound, and fast forwarded, just like a DVD. This can is possible as it is directly delivered down the cable to the customer from the nearest junction box, with no contention from other factors. BSkyB, or Sky Digital, cannot compete with this as they operate a satellite broadcasting service, and the technology does not exist. Other unique services include the purchase of films and music video content, which can then be viewed for 24 hours, like a ‘rental'. This can be called up instantly to watch when the viewer likes. Again, this technology does not exist via satellite broadcasting.

One of the other main unique points about Virgin, and one which encourages so many people in its service area to consider it over Sky Digital, is the fact that the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    How formalized is the organization? Provide examples of formal rules and procedures, and indicate whether they are always followed.…

    • 2473 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marketing Mix

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages

    1 c) To what extent has The Authentic Food Company Ltd’s products been the most important element of its marketing mix?…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Marketing Mix

    • 1479 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The pricing policy on Braaap suppliers are based on dealership and manufacture prices with and inclusion of Braaap overheads, this determines final price that is displayed throughout the website and store, these prices range over the number of products that are in stock with Braaap, from clothing, motocross equipment and motocross bikes themselves. With an inclusion of an interest free long-term layby this allows the consumers to have products on demand when they are able to make full purchase later on.…

    • 1479 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 2009, Sprint Nextel acquired pre-paid phone carrier Virgin Mobile for $438 million, in an effort to capitalize on the growing trend of contract-free cell phones. Given Virgin’s lower prices and profit margin’s, analyst Christopher King questioned Sprint’s decision, “The lingering question of what Sprint 'wants to be when it grows up' resonates more than ever with us following this transaction announcement."…

    • 408 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Comcast Corporation

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The most popular technology that Comcast has created is Xfinity. This product allows for on-demand television and internet access. The combination of cable, internet, and telephone services has allowed them to surpass fifty million customers (O’Shea, 2012).With millions of users, this is where they make the majority of their money. One of the negative aspects of Comcast within the past year is that they have been losing thousands of customers through other products like Netflix. Because of this, they have recently exposed a new product that should gain back all of the customers they lost. “Comcast has launched a new store that enables US Xfinity TV customers to buy movies and TV shows. Titles purchased through the new Xfinity On Demand store belong to a user, and can be streamed as many times as they wish on their TV, computer, or mobile device” (McCormick, 2013). This new advancement in their services will keep them on top of other competitors such as DirecTV and Netflix.…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Business Unit 1 P1

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages

    | Their purpose is to make profit and be a provider who genuinely understands their customer’s needs. And a provider with the UKs largest nationwide fibre optic network and people with expertise. They believe that virgin media business is all about the…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through recent comments made by ‘Seven’, FOXTEL has a “monopoly” over the competitors in “basic pay television packages”, giving great signs of market power and future earnings. But as the market isn 't very large, there is not the opportunity to spread to a large range of people and provide the chances of advertisement to other businesses looking for the best option for marketing possibilities. To make the best out of what the market is now, there must be researched carried out to the consumers who watch subscription television. Through this, the wants of the consumers will be recognized as FOXTEL can capitalize on this information and utilize it to improve time spent watching television by subscription households to improve ratings. The products and services must be modified to the effects of the market wants and actions, this is because the product must satisfy a customers wants and needs to convince them into a purchase and/or commitment to a service. Despite the small market, it has created a revenue of $3 Billion with an annual growth of…

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Bsb Versus Sky Tv

    • 2049 Words
    • 9 Pages

    British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) was to be the first mover and quickly acquired a 15 year franchise for the DBS channels. BSB planned to start broadcasting by the fall of 1989, investing $500 million and projecting to break-even 4 years later. Sky Television a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation unexpectedly announced its entry into the satellite broadcasting market. Murdoch known for his aggressiveness aimed to start broadcasting from Sky’ leased medium powered satellite by February 1989 becoming the real first mover in the market. This led to an intense battle between BSB and Sky as they fought to gain the upper hand. By October 1990, both BSB and Sky were making combined losses of $10 million per week.…

    • 2049 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Roughly a decade ago, the dawn of the “On Demand” feature in television broadcasting brought about a change to the broadcasting industry. For the first time ever, audiences were no longer forced to make their schedules around their favorite programs. Companies such as Comcast and one of its primary competitors, Verizon Communications, found success in the early days of the “On Demand” feature primarily due to its convenience. As time progressed however, alternative products entered the marketplace that challenged the success in which the television service providers were experiencing. Netflix Inc., a web-based service provider, directly challenged the “On Demand” feature by rolling out a product in which consumers had the option to watch a variety of shows or movies online by subscribing to their network. As the popularity of products released by Netflix and other competitors increased, mass media organizations such as Comcast and Verizon realized that they could no longer rest on the laurels of the “On Demand” feature, and had to look for ways to add value to their respective products.…

    • 1460 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Swot Analysis Of Sv Plc

    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages

    At present ITV and BBC hold the strong customer loyalty. Access to distribution channels the new entrants should have the secure distribution channel of its product or service the new media entrants programs and content may not like by the viewer which creates difficulties for the new company to existing in the market. The rapid growth of online streaming BT and Netflix might be the threat of new entrants in the market for the online pay television.…

    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marketing Mix

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How does the integration of all elements of the marketing mix help the company meet its corporate aims and objectives?…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Verizon Communications was formed in June 2000 with the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE. Verizon Wireless evolved from the merger of Vodafone Airtouch, Bell Atlantic, and GTE. The company operates in four basic business segments: Domestic Telecom, which consists of their 16 telephone operating subsidiaries and include Internet access; Domestic Wireless, International including wireless; and Information Services, which provides online an print directories and content. On March 2001, Verizon Wireless joined forces with Lucent Technologies in a $5 billion deal to offer the next generation of high-speed Internet services and wireless technology. With Sprint on their heels, the two companies planned to work in advancements in high-speed mobile Internet services. Verizon Wireless had 27.5 million voice and data customers. The deal would double Verizon’s existing voice capacity.…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Although Branson retains complete ownership and control of the Virgin Brand, the commercial set-up of companies using it is varied and complex. Each of the companies operating under the Virgin brand is a separate entity, with Branson completely owning some and holding minority or majority stakes in others. Occasionally, he simply licenses the brand to a company that has purchased a division from him, such as Virgin Mobile USA, Virgin Mobile Australia, Virgin Radio and Virgin Music (now part of EMI).…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Marketing Analysis on Sky

    • 2719 Words
    • 11 Pages

    * Sweney, M. (2011) BSkyB profits rise despite slowdown in subscriber growth. Guardian, [online], 19 October 2011. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/19/bskyb-profits-rise-subscriber-slowdown?newsfeed=true (accessed 17 November 2011)…

    • 2719 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    P1 Unit 3 Business Btec

    • 1364 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The products they have don’t try to just make the customers say waw/ be impressed by the features they have on them but as well as this they try to increase the benefits on the products. Vodafone also tries to appeal to new customers and try to keep the ones that already are with them still interested.…

    • 1364 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays