Virgin Media is poised to be rolled out across Europe after talks between Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and overseas cable operators.

It is understood that Virgin Group is in discussions with Numéricable, France’s largest cable operator, covering nine million households, about a deal to rebrand its service under the Virgin Media name.

Similar licensing deals with the Virgin Media brand are expected to follow in other European markets.

The French talks, which mark the latest in a series of international expansion moves by the Virgin empire, come amid unhappiness among some Virgin Media investors about the forced abandonment of its planned $23 billion (£11.3 billion) sale.

Virgin Media announced last week that its auction – triggered by an approach, in June, from Carlyle, the US buyout group – had been delayed indefinitely because of the turmoil in the credit markets.

Some investors are now fearful that a deal will not happen at all and are questioning whether the cable group should have held more detailed talks with Carlyle about its $33-a-share offer, earlier.

Carlyle had sought a period of exclusivity but Virgin instead opted to seek to drum up further interest via an auction.

After the former NTL/Telewest tied up with Virgin’s no-frills mobile business last year, Sir Richard became the enlarged group’s biggest shareholder with a 10.5 per cent stake.

Virgin Media had hoped to become a formidable force in the UK home communications market, in part by becoming the first single provider of fixed-line telephone, mobile, broadband and pay-television services, but it has struggled to fulfill its potential. Last week, its second-quarter results showed that it had lost more than 70,000 customers. Only 125,000 have signed up to take all four services.

However, the licensing agreement struck with NTL is a lucrative revenue stream for Virgin Group. Under the deal it receives 0.25 per cent of Virgin Media’s revenues for a minimum of ten years.

France is a logical starting point for the expansion of the Virgin Media brand, in part because of the traction that the Virgin name already has there. In 2005, Virgin Mobile, Sir Richard’s no-frills mobile brand, was launched in the country in a joint venture with Charles Dunstone’s Car-phone Warehouse.

Virgin Group is also to launch a radio station in France after signing an agreement with Lagardère, the French media group, to rename its Europe2 radio station, Virgin Radio.

Numéricable was built from a consolidation, initiated by Cinven, the private equity group, of several cable operators, including Altice One and UPC France, the business once owned by John Malone’s Liberty Global.

It covers nine million households, offering pay television, broadband and fixed-line telephony.

Virgin Group – which declined to comment – could seek to add its Virgin Mobile service to the package to transform it into a “quadruple play” provider.

Times Recommends

• Minister in talks with Saudis to protect creditors
• Premier Inn hits back in £29-a-room row
• Bankers hit back at 'populist' bonus supertax