Sky and Virgin Media adverts under fire (again)

Sky and Virgin have locked horns again, this time by complaining about each others ads.

Both have received instructions from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to either pull or change their adverts following the complaints.

Virgin Media and two members of the public complained about a Sky advert that claimed “When over 350,000 people tested their lines on thinkbroadband.com, the results showed that Sky’s broadband customers got on average faster download speeds than Virgin Media’s”.

Virgin Media believed the ad was misleading because the tests were out of date by around six months by the time the advert was published.  It said that Sky had faster average download speeds because Sky broadband customers who took part in the test would have purchased broadband with higher speeds than Virgin customers.

The price comparison was also thought to be unfair because it compared Sky broadband in a bundle with Virgin Media’s standalone broadband price.  The ASA upheld the complaints and Sky cannot show that particular ad again.

On the flipside, Sky also put forward a complaint concerning Virgin Media’s V+ box.  Sky challenged Virgin Media’s ad that claims it is better than Sky+, as it can record two channels and watch a different third channel.  Sky argued that this available with the Sky+ box.  However, the ASA did not uphold this complaint as it was found that this is not possible with the Sky+ box. 

Sky also said the comparison of the V+ High Definition box with a Sky+ Standard Definition box was unfair and that the ad claimed that Sky has a £65 callout charge for those not covered by warranty, despite there being a 12 month warranty from  the date of purchase.  Those complaints were upheld by the ASA and consequently, Virgin Media were told not to compare the V+ digital receiver with the Sky+ receiver, but make comparisons with similar products. They were also told not to imply competitors always charge for a service if it was not always the case.