YouView “will change the way you watch TV forever”
Project Canvas has officially been re-branded as YouView.
The seven partners – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, TalkTalk, BT, Arqiva and Channel 5 – have formed YouView TV Ltd and have pledged to spend around £18 million each to cover the first four years of the video-on-demand venture.
At a press conference earlier today, the partners announced Richard Halton’s appointment as YouView’s chief executive and confirmed that the service will be launched before July 2011.
Kip Meek, the YouView chairman, said today’s announcement marks a “major watershed” for the venture, which aims to bring on-demand content to Freeview and Freesat. Initially, the project will target the 7 million Freeview households that have broadband access.
Speaking today, Halton echoed BBC director general Mark Thompson’s words at the recent MGEITF, saying YouView is an essential update to ensure that Freeview isn’t “left behind”.
“It is a balance against pay TV platforms, YouView is for those who decided not to pay, or can’t pay… the first core market we are targeting is those homes,” Halton said. “For them to have a really fantastic subscription-free option is as important as basic Freeview was in the past.”
Halton did a better job at promoting the service then Canvas’ marketing director Tim Hunt. A panellist in one of MGEITF’s most-revealing sessions ‘RIP Scheduled TV?’, Hunt struggled to position the service as a “fantastic subscription-free option”, or a fantastic option at all.
However, the platform will also allow paid-content offerings, possibly using micropayments as a method of encouraging viewers to pay for programming. YouView is reportedly in talks with FremantleMedia and ITV about the prospect of using a micropayment model. The service is also due to feature an app store.
Halton seems to be open to engage with any prospective content partners and aims to launch a section on the new YouView website especially for potential partners. Other content owners, including newspaper groups, have apparently expressed an interest in the platform.
But for now, the basic proposition is a set top box, which is expected to retail at around £200 (and has the potential to be packaged with broadband services). The box will feature PVR functionality alongside digital TV channels and 7 days worth of catch-up TV, as well as on-demand and interactive services.
It is still unclear how the service’s EPG will work – although this is due to be decided later this year.
In the build up to the launch, YouView will have around 100 dedicated staff, but these numbers will drop down to around 40 to 50 post-launch.
On Twitter, the reactions to YouView are mixed – “YouView (Project Canvas) or Google TV or Apple TV… These are the current choices, at the moment I am looking at the GTV as the viable option”; “You like YouTube, you like Freeview, you’ll like YouView”; “Project Canvas YouView box will not have a web browser”; “Yes, this is exactly what I want” are just a few of many comments.
The service also generated mixed views at MGEITF last month. During the MacTaggart lecture, Mark Thompson made a number of references to Project Canvas, stating that it was “entirely open”, and suggesting that advertising revenues through Canvas would “replace” traditional advertising revenues, although he quickly changed that to “augment”.
It has some clear advantages, especially when compared to similar offerings – an audience of scale, the ability to offer targeted advertising (and in turn to chance to charge higher premiums) and it is aimed at everyone (Freeview households and many more). As Channel 4’s Sarah Rose pointed out – Canvas (YouView) is the kind of thing even your parents and grandparents could get their heads around and enjoy.
Project Canvas / YouView will be just one of many topics discussed at The MediaTel ‘TV Summit’ on 25th November 2010. For more information or to book your ticket click here.