Mike Fries

TV ‘hugely impactful’ on subscriber take-up, says Liberty Global’s Fries

TV remains a crucial part of the multi-play bundle and a profitable one for Liberty Global, according to CEO Mike Fries, while the falling cost of in-home equipment means that gross margins from the video business remain high. Speaking to analysts after the company posted its Q2 earnings, Fries said that “the vast majority of […]

Fries: Virgin Media-O2 merger is ‘huge opportunity’ to target wider market

Liberty Global’s agreement with Telefónica to combine Virgin Media and O2 in the UK presents a big chance to cross-sell products, including potentially targeting lower-end customers, according to Liberty CEO Mike Fries. Speaking at Bank of America Securities’ 2020 Telecom & Media Conference online, Fries said that some 80% of Virgin customers have some other […]

Liberty Global sees ‘some logic’ in Benelux combination but major challenges stand in way

Liberty Global sees “some compelling logic” in a combination of Belgian operator Telenet and its Dutch JV VodafoneZiggo, according to CEO Mike Fries, although such a combination is probably too complex to happen any time soon. Speaking online for a Bank of America Securies Telecom & Media Conference, Fries said there was “some compelling logic […]

Liberty Global mulls UK fibre JV and wholesale options to ‘crystallise value’ of network

Liberty Global is looking to “continue crystallising value” in its core markets through fixed-mobile combinations and potential restructuring of its networks through the entry of new capital or a wholesale model, according to CEO Mike Fries. Speaking to analysts after the company posted its latest quarterly results, Fries said that “fixed-mobile combinations are materially accretive […]

Cord-cutting comes with ‘pros and cons’ says Liberty Global’s Fries

Cord-cutting comes with “pros and cons” for fixed line operators such as Liberty Global as the industry moves to apps and aggregates streaming services such as Netflix, according to CEO Mike Fries, speaking to CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Fries said that streaming consumers still need a great broadband connection even if […]

Liberty Global positioning itself for fixed-mobile future, says Fries

Liberty Global’s sale of its German and central European assets and planned sale of its Swiss unit “all make sense” in a market that is moving towards fixed-mobile convergence, but the company nevertheless sees “a lot of runway” to build value from its remaining assets, according to CEO Mike Fries. Speaking at Goldman Sachs Communacopia […]

Fries: Liberty Global ‘never so well positioned’ to create value

Liberty Global has never been “so well positioned to create value for shareholders” despite the challenges it faces, according to CEO Mike Fries. Speaking after the company released modest Q1 results, Fries said that the cable giant was “on the verge of completing a series of transactions that will leave us with a more concentrated […]

Liberty Global sees drop in video customers

Liberty Global’s announcement of the sale of its operation in Switzerland (see separate story) came as the company posted mixed Q4 and full-year results, with an acceleration in video losses in the three months to December. Liberty Global lost 32,500 revenue-generating units in Q4, meaning its gain for the year overall was 30,000. The company […]

Liberty Global’s Fries: 5G could be ‘bad dream’ for operators

Bearing the cost of investing in 5G could turn out to be a ‘bad dream’ for operators, with the business case still uncertain, according to Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries. “For many operators, 5G could be a bad dream,” said Fries, speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, with the incredible cost of building […]

Liberty Global commercial chief departs in major reorganisation

Liberty Global is to decentralise its organisation in a series of steps that will reflect its reduced scale post the sale of assets to Vodafone, the first of which sees the departure of Diederik Karsten, the company’s chief commercial officer. Liberty Global said that the departure of Karsten, who has served with the company since […]

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