NTL Extends On-Demand Coverage By 100,000
Ntl’s fledgling video on-demand service looks set for a huge boost this month, as an extra 100,000 customers are given access to the company’s TV-replay and movie content at the touch of a button.
The extended roll-out of the service will encompass Luton, Broxbourne, Huddersfield, Dewsbury and parts of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, taking ntl’s on-demand subscriber base to almost 400,000.
The service, which launched initially to the company’s customers in Glasgow, features on-demand content from a variety of providers, including the BBC, Miramax and Paramount (see Cable Giants Launch On-Demand TV And Movie Services). The service launched at the same time as rival Telewest’s on-demand operations, although the two companies are now set to merge, combining their next-generation services to put pressure on multi-channel market leader, Sky (see Cable Giants Set To Announce Merger This Month).
ntl’s on-demand offering is currently available to customers in South Wales, Belfast, Glasgow and Nottingham. The latest push will see those in Luton, Broxbourne, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire given access within seven days.
The cable giant is also believed to be widening the range of channels available to its customers, with reports this morning indicating that negotiations to increase its basic package to around 70 channels by September are well underway.
Ntl is investing heavily in next-generation services, announcing in March that it had successfully delivered high definition broadcasts via a standard telephone line using new ADSL2+ technology. The advanced broadband connections it had trialed were, according to reports, able to operate at a staggering 600% faster than even the company’s present top tier customers.
Among the advantages of the new technology are massively reduced costs for cable providers, who can now side-step the expense involved in installing fibre optic lines to customers’ homes, previously thought essential for ultra high-speed data transmission (see NTL Trials High Definition TV With Ultra Fast Broadband).
NTL: 01256 752000 www.ntl.com