BBC in talks with Channel 4 and ITV to offer joint on-demand service

June 15, 2007 - The BBC is in talks with fellow UK broadcasters Channel 4 and ITV to launch a unified on-demand TV service for their programmes.

The project, codenamed ‘Project Kangaroo’, will seek to create a single portal for all terrestrial television downloads, initially to the user’s computer but in the longer term it is planned to send content direct to their TV via Freeview.  “There is still a lot to be agreed and nothing is signed yet.  But they do want to do what Freeview did for digital TV… Ultimately, Freeview boxes provide a clear way into a mass number of homes for their on-demand content,” an unnamed source told The Guardian.

The potential on-demand service through Freeview would also pose a threat to IPTV services, such as the recently launched BT Vision.  A deal is thought likely to happen as the BBC’s Freeview initiative demonstrated that the broadcasters could work together, and The Guardian states that talks have already begun with the Digital Television Group (DTG), which specifies Freeview boxes.