ONdigital Signs Deal To Provide Full Net Access Through TV

Television viewers will shortly be able to click straight through to the internet while continuing to watch TV. ONdigital has teamed up with French group Netgem to bring full internet access to digital terrestrial subscribers.

Scheduled to launch later this year ONdigital internet boxes will connect to the ONdigital set-top box and a telephone line and will allow virtually all internet sites to be viewed through a television screen. The viewer will use a keyboard to navigate through sites which will be tailored to fit television screens.

Stuart Prebble, chief executive of ONdigital, said: “Our customers will be the first digital television viewers to be able to surf the millions of internet sites through their TVs. TV is the future and ONdigital intends to be at the cutting edge.”

Most digital television services currently allow only walled garden access to the internet. Users of Open, for example, the first interactive TV service to be launched in the UK (see Interactive TV Launches In The UK), are permitted access only to the websites with which the group has signed deals. NTL is due to launch its interactive service providing full internet access next month (see NTL Launches Digital Cable Services).

As the race to converge net and television services gains pace this week’s deal places ONdigital in a prime position to corner the market. Joseph Haddad, CEO of Netgem, said: “Netgem will be working closely with ONdigital helping them to achieve their goal of becoming the UK’s leading provider of internet via television.”

Pricing and full details of the service will be announced in the coming months but plans for the future are expected to include a deal with BT to offer net access through ADSL – which allows high-speed net connection through ordinary telephone lines. A spokesperson for the group said that it is working with BT on a number of projects but is yet to make an announcement regarding such a partnership.

ONdigital: 020 7819 8000 Netgem: 33 1 5562 5616