--- title: "Virgin Media: search popularity in the United Kingdom" description: "Virgin Media sells broadband, TV and phone plans. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/virgin-media" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Virgin Media: search popularity in the United Kingdom Virgin Media sells broadband, TV and phone plans. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Brand**: Virgin Media - **Owned by**: Virgin Media O2 - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among broadband providers**: 50.1% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Broadband providers | 1 | 50.1% | 1.2M | | TV providers | 6 | 1.9% | 17.1K | - [Broadband providers](/demand/uk/categories/uk-broadband-providers) - [TV providers in the UK](/demand/uk/categories/uk-tv-providers) ## Top broadband providers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Virgin Media was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Virgin Media is the fifth most recommended of the 11. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Zen | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | EE | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Vodafone | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Plusnet | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Virgin Media | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Hyperoptic | 6th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Community Fibre | 7th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | YouFibre | 8th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | BT | 9th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | TalkTalk | 10th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Sky | 11th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about broadband providers - Asked ChatGPT "Which broadband provider should I switch to in the UK?": 1. Zen, 2. YouFibre, 3. Vodafone, 4. Virgin Media, 5. Plusnet, 6. BT, 7. Sky, 8. EE, 9. TalkTalk - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best broadband providers in the UK?": 1. Zen, 2. Plusnet, 3. Vodafone, 4. EE, 5. Hyperoptic, 6. Virgin Media - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best full fibre broadband provider in the UK for working from home?": 1. Zen, 2. EE, 3. Plusnet, 4. Vodafone, 5. BT - Searched Google, AI Overview "broadband deals": 1. Hyperoptic, 2. Vodafone, 3. Community Fibre, 4. EE, 5. Zen - Searched Google, AI Overview "best broadband provider": 1. EE, 2. Zen, 3. Virgin Media, 4. Plusnet, 5. Community Fibre, 6. TalkTalk, 7. Hyperoptic Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for Virgin Media changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Virgin Media in the United Kingdom fell from 1.6M to 1.2M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virgin Media’s share of searches among broadband providers in the United Kingdom peaked at 54.6% in December 2025 and was lowest at 47.9% in November 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virgin Media’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom decreased from 6.7% to 1.9%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virgin Media’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom peaked at 6.7% in October 2025 and was lowest at 1.7% in January 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virgin Media fell from 5th to 6th among TV providers in the United Kingdom. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom broadband providers in September 2026? - In September 2026, Hyperoptic overtook Sky and BT to rank 4th among broadband providers in the United Kingdom, with 5.5% of the searches. - In September 2026, TalkTalk gained share of searches among broadband providers in the United Kingdom, from 10.4% to 12.4%. - In September 2026, Virgin Media lost share of searches among broadband providers in the United Kingdom, from 51.8% to 50.1%. - EE’s share of searches among broadband providers in the United Kingdom has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 7% to 5.5% in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Zen in the United Kingdom rose 22.1% over 12 measured months, from 27.1K to 33.1K in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Vodafone in the United Kingdom fell 55% over 12 measured months, from 201K to 90.5K in September 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom TV providers in September 2026? - In September 2026, Freeview gained share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom, from 9% to 12.4%. - In September 2026, Sky gained share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom, from 15.6% to 17.1%. - In September 2026, NOW lost share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom, from 67.2% to 62.2%. - Freely’s share of searches among TV providers in the United Kingdom has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 7.5% to 3.1% in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Virgin Media in the United Kingdom fell 75.4% over 12 measured months, from 69.5K to 17.1K in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for BT in the United Kingdom fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 9.9K to 6.6K in September 2026. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Broadband providers | 1.5M | 50.2% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Broadband providers | 1.2M | 47.9% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Broadband providers | 1.2M | 54.6% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Broadband providers | 1.2M | 48.6% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Broadband providers | 1.2M | 51.3% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Broadband providers | 1.5M | 53.5% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Broadband providers | 1.2M | 50.5% | 1 | | May 2026 | Broadband providers | 1.2M | 52.3% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Broadband providers | 1.2M | 51.5% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Broadband providers | 1.2M | 52.2% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Broadband providers | 1.2M | 51.8% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Broadband providers | 1.2M | 50.1% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | TV providers | 69.5K | 6.7% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | TV providers | 56.8K | 4.9% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | TV providers | 28.2K | 2.5% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | TV providers | 18.6K | 1.7% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | TV providers | 33.6K | 3.2% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | TV providers | 26.1K | 2.5% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | TV providers | 18.6K | 1.8% | 6 | | May 2026 | TV providers | 29.5K | 2.8% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | TV providers | 15.7K | 1.9% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | TV providers | 16.4K | 1.9% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | TV providers | 19.3K | 1.9% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | TV providers | 17.1K | 1.9% | 6 | ## How are Virgin Media’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Virgin Media’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading. - “virgin media” - “virgin media tv” - “virgin media tv packages” - “virgin tv” ## Which broadband providers compete with Virgin Media? - [TalkTalk](/demand/uk/brands/talktalk): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/talktalk-vs-virgin-media - [EE](/demand/uk/brands/ee-uk): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/ee-uk-vs-virgin-media - [Hyperoptic](/demand/uk/brands/hyperoptic): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/hyperoptic-vs-virgin-media - [Sky](/demand/uk/brands/sky-uk): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/sky-uk-vs-virgin-media - [BT](/demand/uk/brands/bt-uk): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/bt-uk-vs-virgin-media - [Plusnet](/demand/uk/brands/plusnet) - [Community Fibre](/demand/uk/brands/community-fibre) - [Vodafone](/demand/uk/brands/vodafone-uk) - [YouFibre](/demand/uk/brands/youfibre) - [Zen](/demand/uk/brands/zen-internet) ## Who owns Virgin Media? Virgin Media is owned by Virgin Media O2. Brandwave also tracks O2, giffgaff and Virgin Media Business, owned by the same company, in the United Kingdom. - [Virgin Media O2](/demand/uk/companies/virgin-media-o2): Owns 4 tracked brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Who owns Virgin Media? Virgin Media is owned by Virgin Media O2. Brandwave also tracks O2, giffgaff and Virgin Media Business, owned by the same company, in the United Kingdom. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Virgin Media: search popularity in the United Kingdom". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/virgin-media This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/virgin-media. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.