- Enforcing jurisdiction
- United Kingdom · Geography does not establish applicable law.
- Confirmed applicable legislation
- No confirmed legal basis recorded.
- Privacy topics
Virgin Media Limited – €58,500 Fine (United Kingdom, 2021)
Privacy enforcement record
This record is classified outside cookie consent. Subject classification does not confirm an applicable law. It is not included in cookie statistics or the Risk Calculator.
Virgin Media was fined for sending marketing emails to customers who had opted out of receiving such messages. This is important because it shows that companies must respect users' preferences regarding marketing communications. Businesses should ensure they have valid consent before sending marketing materials.
What happened
Virgin Media sent direct marketing emails to 451,217 subscribers who had opted out of marketing communications.
Who was affected
Subscribers of Virgin Media who had previously opted out of receiving marketing emails.
What the authority found
The Information Commissioner's Office ruled that Virgin Media violated regulations by not obtaining valid consent for the marketing emails.
Why this matters
This ruling emphasizes the importance of respecting customer preferences and obtaining consent for marketing communications. Companies should review their marketing practices to avoid similar issues.
Source checks
Linked-source text retrieved.
Automated check recorded — 12 March 2026.
Processing notes: national law identified, scope corrected.
Retrieved text may be a secondary summary or an announcement. These automated statuses do not establish that the original decision was read or that the record received an independent legal review. How we check sources
Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company. It first came to the attention of the ICO in connection with this matter on 10 August 2020. The ICO received a complaint (the “Complaint”) about a direct marketing email they had received from Virgin Media on 4 August 2020. The Commissioner found that Virgin Media contravened regulation 22 of PECR for the following reasons. 1. On or around 4 August 2020 there were 451,217 direct marketing emails containing the Marketing Preference Reminder received by subscribers. 2. The Marketing Preference Reminder sought to entice or encourage customers to update their marketing preferences. It also marketed Virgin Media’s commercial offerings, i.e. “the great Virgin Media stuff we have on offer for you…our latest TV, broadband, phone and mobile news, competitions, product and bundle offers.” 3. As such, the Price Freeze Emails containing the Marketing Preference Reminder fell within the definition of direct marketing as set out at paragraph 6 above. 4..Virgin Media, as the sender of the direct marketing, was required to ensure that it was acting in compliance with the requirements of regulation 22 of PECR, and that valid consent to send those messages had been acquired. 5. The requisite consent was not obtained because the 451,217 recipients of the direct marketing had opted out of marketing communications. No issue arises as to whether consent was “freely given”, “specific”, “informed” and “unambiguous”, because consent was not given. 6. In the course of the investigation, Virgin Media stated that in deciding (i) which customers would receive Price Freeze Emails, and (ii) the wording for the same, Virgin Media relied on the ICO Direct Marketing Guidance (v. 2.3). Virgin Media noted that the ICO Direct Marketing Guidance provides [at paragraph 194] that people can change their minds and that marketing strategies also change, and that there is some merit in making sure that the information about people’s preferences is acc
Related Enforcement Actions (0)
No other enforcement actions found for Virgin Media Limited in UK
This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
Fine Date
6 December 2021
Authority
Information Commissioner's Office
Fine Amount
€58,500
50,000 GBP
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Virgin Media Limited - United Kingdom (2021). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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