YouView appoints Steve Conway ahead of autumn launch

YouView has appointed Kelkoo marketing chief Steve Conway as an interim head of marketing ahead of the service’s expected launch in the autumn.

Conway will report to the YouView chief executive Richard Halton. He was previously brand marketing director at price comparison company Kelkoo.

There has been lots of speculation over the launch date of YouView, after the connected TV service from partners including the BBC, ITV and BT was delayed in 2010/2011 amid rumours of technical difficulties.

A launch date of early 2012 was discussed following the initial delay, with May being mentioned as a realistic deadline. The thinking was that the service would want to be available before the Olympics to maximise potential sales and marketing opportunities.

However, Enders analyst Ian Maude told the FT earlier this month that YouView will not be up and running in time for the Olympics. It is now thought that the service will launch in the autumn.

A YouView spokesman said the joint venture has been “deliberately very quiet for the last few months” in order to concentrate on the launch. An alpha trial is expected to be rolled out to hundreds of people before a beta trial involving thousands of users.