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Media
Ofcom approves YouView
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 19 October 2010
Media regultor OfCom has given the go ahead to YouView, the video-on-demand TV-over-IP platform that will come to Freeview and Freesat boxes in the near future, backed by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, TalkTalk and BT. As previously reported, the YouView service is a manifestation of the Project Canvas discussions between various UK broadcasters and ISPs regarding devising a standard technology for the provision of telly-on-demand.
The collaboration of so many terrestrial broadcasters on a new business venture has caused some opposition, mainly from YouView’s main competitors in the VOD space, Sky and Virgin. Previous efforts by the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 to collaborate on an albeit web-based on-demand service, Project Kangaroo, was vetoed by the Competition Commission, and eventually sold off to the Arqiva who launched the service as SeeSaw.
But, despite Sky and Virgin’s objections, OfCom today gave its approval for YouView, saying it didn’t believe having a stake in the platform would stop the likes of the BBC, ITV and Channel Four licensing their content to other competing on-demand services. The regulator added: “It is likely that YouView will bring benefits to viewers and consumers. Any potential harm to competition would need to be offset against these benefits”.
