UPC has confirmed plans to become Virgin Media in Ireland and has committed itself to shaking up the Irish market. Virgin Media and UPC are both owned by Liberty Global PLC, which is the world’s largest international cable company.
Richard Branson is “delighted” to be bringing Virgin Media to Ireland.
Branson is one of the world’s best-known entrepreneurs and is turning his attention to “shaking up” the Irish digital entertainment and communications market.
UPC, which has only been present in the Irish market for 5 years, will be re-branded as Virgin Media in order to boost competition and meet the ever-evolving needs of Ireland’s TV, broadband, phone and mobile customers.
New mobile network
The details of exactly when and how this re-branding will take place will be revealed in due course, but we can be pretty confident that the launch of UPC’s…I mean Virgin’s mobile service in Ireland will be high on the company's agenda.
This summer, existing UPC customers were offered the chance to be the first to try out the new service.
TV3
In early July, UPC purchased TV3 for a cool €80m with the intention of increasing its reach in the media market in Ireland. The company's streaming service, My Prime, has Netflix in its sights too.
Now, with the power of the Virgin Media brand on its side, UPC is well-poised to make a big impact on our TV and online entertainment options.
A new era
UPC already enjoys the title of 'Ireland's fastest broadband provider', offering speeds of up to 240Mbps through its fibre network. And its Tripleplay bundle (broadband, TV and phone) is one of the most attractive deals on the market at the moment.
With a mobile network yet to be fully rolled out, an Irish TV station under its wing and the Virgin Media secret sauce in its locker, it looks like we're about to enter a new era of entertainment and communications services in Ireland. Don't be surprised to see mobile plans offered as part of a new Quadplay bundle from Virgin Media before the year is out.
UPC’s CEO, Magnus Ternsjö, said of the re-brand; “building on the strong platform in Ireland, I know we will do great things together with Liberty Global and shake up the Irish market even further?”.
Here's hoping that this eye-catching re-branding brings increased competition along with improved prices and services for customers.