Digital TV News

Project Canvas launches information website

Friday 4 December, 2009

By Garnet Roach - garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Project Canvas, the on-demand TV partnership between the BBC, ITV, Five and BT, has launched a website, giving a first glimpse of what the service might look like.

The site, which can be found at www.projectcanvas.info, is designed to provide information about the project, explaining the objectives of the venture and the motivation of its partners as well as featuring the latest news on the project.

However, Project Canvas is still waiting for approval from the BBC Trust, which has decided not to conduct a full market impact assessment of the service.

Project Canvas aims to bring free on-demand TV from major broadcasters to TV sets via Freeview and Freesat, using internet connections to deliver content but has been quite heavily criticised by Sky (www.sky.com) both for its decision not to conduct a market impact assessment and for investing licence payer’s money in the scheme.

The BBC recently revealed that Project Canvas is likely to cost more than £115m in its first four years.

Jon Ingram, operations director at Digitalchoices.co.uk, said: “If Project Canvas gets approval from the BBC Trust, it will be a really exciting service.

“However, bearing in mind what happened to proposed on-demand service Project Kangaroo – which was blocked by the Competition Commission – it could be some time before Canvas actually gets off the ground.”