Virgin Media has hailed a near 40% rise in the number of TiVo users over the past three months as “the most rapid connected-TV rollout in the world” as it surges past the 1m-subscriber mark this week.
The number of homes with the box, which connects sets to the Internet as well as traditional TV channels, rose 261,700 to 938,800 during the past three months, helping boost revenues 4% to £1bn.
The roll-out has been backed by a major marketing campaign and chief executive Neil Berkett claimed consumers had signed up for Tivo faster than similar devices in the US.
The rise in pay-TV income helped counter the loss of 14,700 cable customers in Virgin Media’s second quarter, which often sees numbers drop as student households disconnect for the summer.
The company had expected a cable customer reduction of 13,000, but the picture has improved compared to the same period last year when 36,000 defected. Broadband customers increased by 4,000, an improvement on the year before when 12,600 disconnected. The company also added a few hundred landline customers, having lost 26,000 last year.
With a box that offers access to catch-up Internet TV services from all the major broadcasters including the BBC’s iPlayer as well as on-demand films, the company has added more pay-TV customers than BT and Sky in recent months, beating rivals in the previous two quarters.
“The more you buy the more you use,” said Berkett. “The day that you get upgraded and purchase a higher (Internet) speed is the day that you consume more data. There’s a direct correlation. It’s not just about a few people who are really focused on this. This is about mass market, digitally aware customers who want connected TVs, who want superfast broadband.”
