Virgin Media To Create 620 New Jobs As Profits And Viewers Increase

Virgin Media To Create 620 Jobs

Cable operator Virgin Media is to create 620 new jobs as it looks to meet increasing appetite for its broadband and television on-demand service.

The company is aiming to fill 500 call centre positions and will recruit a further 120 people it can train as engineers under its apprenticeship scheme.

Virgin, which employs around 12,000 people, has been buoyed by the growth of its TiVo on-demand service, which recorded in excess of one billion views during 2011.

In results published today, Virgin's annual revenues were up 3% to £4bn, while operating income lifted 67.8% to £540m.

Chief executive Neil Berkett said: "Our strategy of focusing on customers who want more from the digital world is paying off."

Virgin said the majority of the new positions will be in Manchester and Swansea, with the apprenticeships being across the UK. The scheme is in its fourth year and has now placed 530 people into roles within the company.

The expansion comes at a time of intense competition as rival firms battle to offer their customers faster broadband speeds.

Last month, Virgin Media announced four million of its broadband subscribers with current speeds of between 10Mb and 50Mb will gain access to an internet service which is at least twice as fast.

The move, which will cost the company £110 million this year, is in line with Government targets for 90% of British homes and businesses to have access to super-fast broadband by 2015.

The customer base for TiVo more than doubled in the final quarter of the year to stand at 435,000. The service combines the live television schedule with on-demand and web services.

Cindy Rose, executive director for digital entertainment, said on demand programmes were now watched more than any channel except for BBC1 and ITV1.

She added: "Essentially people are watching more TV - whether that's on demand, suggestions recorded for them, or as a result of new and exciting interactive experiences."

The company's cable customer base grew by 15,000 during the quarter, while it was the first three-month period since the second quarter of 2010 in which there was a year-on-year reduction in disconnections.

Close

What's Hot