Granada Media To Provide Net Access Through TV Sets

Granada Media Group today announced plans to provide free internet access through television sets. An alliance with PowerChannel Europe will allow the group to provide UK consumers with a TV internet box allowing full net access.

The boxes will be available through Granada Rental shops from July. Customers will pay a £30 refundable deposit and will be asked to complete a brief monthly online consumer survey. The box is then connected to a TV and phone line and operated through a remote control keyboard.

The deal, which will see Granada investing £13.5 million in Powerchannel, will make the company the first media group to provide free net access through TV sets. Steve Morrison, chief executive of Granada Media, said: “This alliance changes the rules of the internet. Up to now, home internet access has been restricted to those who own their own computers and an estimated 70% of UK homes are not yet online. From now on, it’s no longer necessary to have a computer in order to access the internet.”

The TV internet boxes will use Granada’s G-Wizz portal as its internet service provider, and Ask Jeeves, in which it shares a 50% stake with Carlton (see Carlton And Granada Bring Jeeves To The UK), as its default search engine.

Through PowerChannel’s infrastructure and the monthly survey, the alliance will allow Granada to collect detailed data on its customers. This will be passed on to advertisers, allowing them to tailor their marketing towards the specific needs of the comsumer.

Granada Media: 020 7620 1620