Goodbye NTL:Telewest, hello Virgin Media Business

At a swanky Kensington night spot (with a terrible PA system) last night, Sir Richard Branson finally consigned the NTL:Telewest brand to the dustbin of history.

While many of you probably thought it had gone three years ago, in fact the brand has limped on thanks to the business side of the company not being rebranded 'Virgin Media' when the consumer side got its new lick of paint. However, it seems the powers that be have decided its time to take the plunge.

On fine form, Branson dismissed talk of 'business' being a bit dull for a Virgin brand, saying the company was all about "fun" and that didn't exclude businesses. And he was clearly happy to be rid of the old brand - especially NTL, which he said would be confined to the very bottom of the bin.

Virgin Media CEO Neil Berkett refused to be drawn on claims Virgin Media's 'super-fast' broadband package had been a bit of a flop, saying the press would have to wait until the figures were officially announced on February 25. However, he did claim sales were ahead of expectations - although how low those expectations were remains to be seen.

Virgin Media Business CEO Mark Heraghty said NTL:Telewest's three years in the branding wilderness hadn't been wasted. While it may have been under the radar to many, he explained the company was still number three in the UK on business service level agreements (SLAs). However, he recognised the rebranding would mean higher expectations and named three areas the company would be targeting: small businesses (which he called a "real opportunity"); the government sector, in particular local authorities; and, having already nailed medium sized businesses, larger and larger players. Everyone, then.

Berkett even had time for a light-hearted dig at BT, thanking it for its "generous offer" to open up its pipes to other internet providers. He described the announcement as "opaque", but said they would look closely at the opportunity once more details were available.

It seems a good time for Virgin Media to hit the business market hard. The 50Mb product is up and running well, while BT is yet to gain any traction with its own super-fast 40Mb offering. Branson's brand is a strong one, so it will be interesting to see what impact it will have on the business market over the rest of the year.