Digital TV Guides

YouView: How will it change TV?

Updated: Wednesday 4 April, 2012

By Editorial

Heard about YouView and want to find out more? It’s a new TV service to rival Sky and Virgin Media with subscription-free channels, on-demand programmes and an internet-connected set-top box.

YouView, or Project Canvas as it was previously known, is still a work in progress, but when it launches later this year, it promises to revolutionise the way British families watch TV.

With on-demand content, an internet-connected set-top box and personalised recommendations, it’s worth considering if you’re looking for a new digital TV service. So, what is YouView, and how is it different from the TV services already available?

What is YouView?

YouView is a subscription-free service that will combine “live” digital TV channels, catch-up TV and on-demand content, as well as a whole host of interactive services, straight to your living room.

In a nutshell it’s the next-generation of Freeview. So, why should you choose YouView?

• Catch-up TV - Access to catch-up services, such as the BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD, Demand 5 and SeeSaw, will allow you to watch any missed episodes of your favourite shows
• On-demand TV - For those who want more, there’ll be a huge choice of on-demand and pay TV content - including films, sports and US drama
• HD channels - Watch a number of your favourite channels in high-definition, without a subscription
• PVR functionality - The set-top box will also be a personal video recorder (PVR), like the Sky+HD box, letting you can pause, rewind and record live TV whenever you like.

“Even for those viewers familiar with accessing catch-up on their computers, the ability to simply do so on their TV screen will be hugely attractive,” says YouView.

YouView said it will also ensure that the service will be available to all, especially those who are unable or unwilling to pay for a TV subscription.

Ultimately all the content will be available subscription-free to every home in the UK, with the option of paying for extra TV channels and some on-demand programmes, for those who want more choice.

What makes YouView different from Freeview?

As well as the on-demand content, which was previously only available to Freesat homes with particular Humax internet-connected set-top boxes or if you were a pay-TV subscriber, YouView will make your TV more than just a TV.

YouView will feature a wide range of applications to maximise your viewing experience

The YouView developers say they’re planning to open an “app store”, which will feature a wide range of applications to maximise your viewing experience and allow you access other services through your TV screen.

So if you’re feeling peckish while watching X Factor on a Saturday night, an app from Domino’s could let you order a pizza using your remote without leaving the sofa, for example. Or if you fancy having a flutter on your footy team’s latest fixture, a William Hill app could let you make bets online with your TV while watching the game.

Who’s involved in YouView?

YouView is being developed in partnership by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, BT, TalkTalk and Arqiva.

You can find out more about the partners on the YouView website.

Originally dubbed as “Freeview Mark II”, like the existing subscription-free broadcaster, YouView is a not for profit organisation.

How can I watch YouView?

When it launches, YouView says you’ll be able to either buy a set-top-box for a one-off fee from a high street retailer (just like with Freeview or Freesat), or potentially get a box as part of your broadband deal. The set-top box will give you access to all the free-to-view channels, including BBC1, ITV and Channel 4.

Both BT and TalkTalk are likely to offer a YouView set-top box as part of a bundled package with their broadband and landline services, allowing consumers to get the best value for money TV, phone and broadband deals directly from one company.

To access the on-demand content available on YouView, your set-top box will need to be connected to the internet, with a connection speed of 2Mb or faster.

Simply plug your aerial or satellite dish, and your broadband, into the set-top box, and then connect the box to the TV. The boxes will work without being connected to the net, but this is essentially just a standard Freeview box.

Other benefits of YouView?

There are currently around 10 million homes in the UK that have already opted for Freeview, choosing not to pay a subscription for their TV service. With YouView, these homes will benefit from all the latest technological developments in internet-connected TV.

And as the service is “open to all”, any set-top manufacturer will be able to make a YouView-ready device, with the potential for integrated TVs as well as set-top boxes.

Any content provider will have the opportunity to run a video-on-demand service on the platform, so what you watch won’t just be limited to the five main terrestrial channels. You could, for example, download and watch films from LoveFilm whenever you want, or watch YouTube clips on a big screen. Any developer will be able to create apps for YouView, and YouView will work with any broadband connection - unlike the current BT Vision service, which is only available to BT Total Broadband subscribers.

YouView believes this could help boost broadband take-up among the digitally excluded, and independent research carried out by Value Partners found that YouView could encourage up to 870,000 new UK homes to get online.

Another key feature will be access to a wide range of online public services. “Websites such as Directgov will be able to be accessed through the main and most popular screen in the home, the TV set,” says YouView.

YouView versus rivals

While YouView is definitely a contender for the title of best on-demand TV service, and the subscription-free aspect will appeal to many home, YouView won’t be for everyone.

Those who want to watch the latest sports coverage will still need a subscription with Sky Sports and ESPN. YouView says this may come with time, and there’s no reason why it can’t offer the channels, however for now, Sky is keeping its cards (and channels) close to its chest, and hasn’t jumped on board with YouView. Its sports channels are only available through a monthly subscription with either itself, Virgin Media or BT Vision.

Similarly, Virgin Media is refusing to join the YouView partnership - though with its own reasons. Virgin Media has teamed up with US set-top manufacturer TiVo to offer a cable TV internet-connect box, which does all the functions of YouView and more. For more information, read our guide to Virgin Media TiVo.

And for those that don’t want to fork out for a possibly-quite-expensive new set-top box, other free-to-view internet TV services, such as SeeSaw and FetchTV are already available, offering a library of on-demand content from major UK broadcasters, such as the BBC and Channel 4, as well as programmes and films on a pay-per-view basis.

If you’re interested in watching TV on-demand, compare digital TV packages using the Digitalchoices.co.uk price comparison tool and find out more about installation costs and package prices.