Kangaroo may rise again

Project Kangaroo – the joint VoD venture from BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 – would have given consumers and advertisers what they want, according to some of the panellists at last week’s MediaTel Group ‘Future of Television’ seminar.

ITV’s director of group marketing, David Pemsel, said that after two years of planning, ITV is “very disappointed” with the Competition Commission’s ruling to “stop” Kangaroo (see Competition Commission “stops” Kangaroo).

However, Pemsel said that ITV hopes for a “reform” to let the venture go ahead – suggesting that the broadcasters involved will be looking at alternative solutions to address the concerns of the Commission.

“The Competition Commission made a backward-looking decision on Kangaroo,” according to panellist Ray Snoddy, who thinks that the Commission’s ruling was short-sighted.

It was felt that the decision was too UK-centric and was made without the recognition that the internet, and therefore the online TV market, cannot be limited to geographical boundaries.

Snoddy said: “Joost and YouTube are doing exactly the same thing on a global scale but because the Competition Commission looked at Kangaroo solely in the context of the UK, it was blocked.”

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