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Virgin Media broadband ad banned by ASA

Wednesday, May 9th 2012
The ASA has banned an advert for Virgin Media's super-fast broadband service.
Virgin Media broadband ad banned by ASA
Virgin Media has been warned not to make unsubstantiated claims about the speeds offered by its super-fast broadband service.

A complaint was made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) by rival internet service provider (ISP) BT regarding an ad in a technology publication that insisted Virgin offers the "UK's fastest broadband".

In its defence, the cable company argued the claim was not misleading to consumers and referred to the findings of a report from Ofcom and SamKnows, which covered 90 per cent of the country's broadband market.

However, the ASA disagreed, pointing out that the failure of the study to include smaller ISPs meant that Virgin Media could not legitimately claim to deliver the fastest speeds.

"We told Virgin not to claim that their broadband was the fastest in the UK unless they held adequate comparative evidence to substantiate that was the case," the regulator explained.

A TV ad for Virgin Media starring Usain Bolt has also been banned for promoting a bundle package without including the cost of line rental.

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