Nigel Walley: “Alan Sugar should kill the YouView brand”

Speaking at the MediaTel Group’s third “Internet Comes to TV” breakfast event this morning at the Haymarket Hotel in association with Rovi, Nigel Walley, Managing Director of Decipher, said that the free TV market is becoming very crowded with Freeview, Freesat, Smart TVs and the imminent launch of YouView.

The panel were in agreement that YouView is around 2-3 years late to market. With epic price reductions expected in the January sales, and the selling off of the 2011 connected TV stock, many homes will find themselves in possession of all the content of YouView via their smart TV, therefore negating the need to buy the YouView box itself as it will not do anything additional.

Nigel Walley believes that the arrival of Smart TV brand has further confused a ‘free TV’ market already struggling with Freeview and Freesat brands. Launching YouView into this confused market will help none of the players. He suggested that Lord Sugar should kill the YouView brand and reposition the service as the top-end set top box of the Freeview range.

David Brennan, founder at Media Native, agreed that YouView is late, but said that the market is not settled yet, and if YouView can simplify things for the consumer and create a cross-channel non-stop shop, it could become very popular.

At present, some people have loyalty to existing VOD services via specific devices, but not to the extent that another entry to the market would not be used.

Nigel clarified to the audience, that there will be no advertising within YouView itself, other than what will be delivered on the broadcast channels, and on the catch up players by specific media owners, such as ITV for ITV Player. There is currently no scope for Rovi style advertising in the EPG and as Graeme Hutcheson, associate director at Mediacom, pointed out, there is no sales team at YouView.