Virgin Media logs 500m on-demand views

Virgin Media viewers watched 516 million on-demand programmes last year with over half of its customer’s regularly using the service.

The pay-tv service adds that 56 million people viewed TV programmes, music videos and films on its TV platform, up from 33 million views in the last three months of 2007.

Virgin Media says the increase is driven by catch up content from the BBC, Channel 4 and the success of the X Factor finalists.

Neil Berkett, chief executive of Virgin Media, says the figures demonstrate that viewers are increasingly “abandoning TV schedules”.

“The launch of BBC iPlayer on our TV platform was a real tipping point in consumer understanding of on demand and we’ll continue this success with the launch of ITV Player,” he says.

Last month, Virgin Media launched a pitch for a digital agency to handle its online marketing strategy two months after its marketing director of brand and acquisitions Lisa McCormack left the company.

It has run a series of cinema campaigns in the last year starring animated celebrities including Kelly Osborne and Mel B to push its on-demand service.