Virgin Media ordered to end Internet speed ad

Virgin Media has been forced to end its online campaign for greater transparency about Internet speeds in broadband advertising after the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that it was misleading on several counts.

Virgin’s “Stop the Broadband Con” site included a letter from Sir Richard Branson, claiming that rival Internet service providers such as BT and British Sky Broadcasting were “not keeping their promises” about the actual speeds delivered to customers’ homes. BT and BSkyB complained to the ASA, arguing that Virgin had denigrated their business practices and exaggerated the extent to which their broadband speeds were faster than rivals’. The ASA upheld their complaints on all eight counts. Virgin was ordered to withdraw the site and ensure that its marketing “did not discredit or denigrate other marketers”.