TalkTalk has boosted its TV operation, hiring former senior executives from Virgin Media and Amazon’s video business.

Aleks Habdank, Virgin Media’s former director of digital entertainment, joins as chief operating officer.

Habdank joins from Modern Times Group, which runs free and pay-TV channels in 24 countries.

TalkTalk has also hired Joe Eldridge, a former director at Amazon Instant Video, as TV engineering director.

Both will report to Max Alexander, managing director of TalkTalk TV.

Earlier this year TalkTalk, which has attracted more than 1.4 million customers to its budget TV service, bolstered its business by acquiring Tesco’s loss-making video service Blinkbox.