Virgin Media, the U.K.-based MSO owned by Liberty Global, plans to cut 900 jobs over the next two years in order to streamline while also pushing ahead on growth strategies, according to media reports.
“Over the last three years Virgin Media has been transformed,” Tom Mockridge, Virgin Media’s CEO said in a statement to The Guardian and other media outlets. “We’re expanding, investing and growing our business. The proposed reorganisation will give us an even sharper focus on the customer, network expansion and business growth.”
Even as Virgin Media looks to cut back in redundant areas (it has not said which parts of the company will be affected the most by the reductions), it said its overall workforce of 23,000, including outsources and overseas staff, will rise from 23,000 to 25,000 this year. About 13,600 workers are directly employed by the company, The Telegraph noted.
A continuing focus at Virgin Media will be “Project Lightning,” a £3 billion plan that calls on the MSO to extend its broadband network to an addition 4 million premises over the next five years.
Last November, Liberty Global announced “Liberty 3.0,” an initiative that aims to make the company more efficient and “super charge” its growth rate.
“This is a massive transformation program designed to streamline our operating model, accelerate our growth and drive even greater efficiency through the business,” Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries said at the time, stressing that the program “is not just a cost-cutting exercise,” but one that will tackle everything from revenue growth, customer engagement and churn.
