Virgin Media to slash 2 200 jobs

UK digital broadcaster Virgin Media is to cut 2 200 jobs over the next four years as it looks to continue restructuring the company, reports VNUnet.

The 13 000-strong organisation claimed the restructuring will ultimately drive "further improvements in its operational performance" and save around £120 million a year.

The majority of job losses will come between the fourth quarter of 2009 and the end of 2010, and follow an "intensive period of review" undertaken after the merger of NTL and Telewest, and the subsequent acquisition of Virgin Mobile in 2006.

YouTube is letting advertisers promote their commercial clips alongside the search results on the Internet's most popular video site, states Yahoo Tech.

The system channels a concept that has turned Google, YouTube's owner, into one of the world's most profitable companies. And it gives Google a new way to try to profit from the $1.76 billion it paid to buy YouTube two years ago.

"We are trying to blend the best of Google with the best of YouTube," says YouTube product manager Matthew Liu.

BBC Worldwide has indefinitely delayed the launch of its commercial network of 'passion sites' as it focuses its energy on other portals, such as Top Gear and Lonely Planet, says New Media Age.

The broadcaster has abandoned its plans to roll out five portals by the end of this year as part of its strategy to build a network of community sites based around genres instead of specific BBC brand titles.

The portals were to focus on children, parenting, countryside, sport and environmental issues. BBC Worldwide has launched just one portal, the ethical living site BBC Green.