Cable Forum - View Single Post - Liberty Global in talks to merge Virgin Media with O2

1andrew1 · 19-05-2020, 00:47

It's an interesting branding dilemma. I think the parent company would start off as something like Virgin Media O2. I think they'e both strong brands although the value of the Virgin brand was tainted for some by Richard Branson's request for financial assistance for Virgin Atlantic.

O2 is the bigger brand name with some 23m customers. It sponsors the England rugby team and a range of music venues across the UK and The O2 in Greenwich.

But the O2 brand is also used by other companies - Telefonica in Germany and the former Telefonica subsidiaries in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. And in UK consumers' minds it would probably be perecived as a mobile-only brand without strong promotion.

Virgin Media is only present in another country (Ireland) and is strongly associated with broadband and cable TV, so I'm inclined to think it will continue.

19-05-2020, 00:47	#55
1andrew1 cf.mega poster Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 14,231	Re: Liberty Global in talks to merge Virgin Media with O2 It's an interesting branding dilemma. I think the parent company would start off as something like Virgin Media O2. I think they'e both strong brands although the value of the Virgin brand was tainted for some by Richard Branson's request for financial assistance for Virgin Atlantic. O2 is the bigger brand name with some 23m customers. It sponsors the England rugby team and a range of music venues across the UK and The O2 in Greenwich. But the O2 brand is also used by other companies - Telefonica in Germany and the former Telefonica subsidiaries in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. And in UK consumers' minds it would probably be perecived as a mobile-only brand without strong promotion. Virgin Media is only present in another country (Ireland) and is strongly associated with broadband and cable TV, so I'm inclined to think it will continue.