Don’t get too excited about this, but the European Parliament is launching its own online TV channel this coming Wednesday, letting electors watch live plenary and committee sessions amongst other shows. The platform was built by UK broadcast group TwoFour, content comes from Brussels-based Mostra, there’s a €9 million annual budget. Europarltv will actually comprise four different channels:

—Your Parliament, aimed at hardcore Brussels and Strasbourg policy wonks: “informed citizens, industry groups, social partners, lobbyists, academics as well as those working in the EU institutions”.
—Your Voice for the rest of us in the “general public”, with “the possibility of featuring user-generated content” (that’s one buzz-phrase box ticked).
—Young Europe for schoolkids.
—Parliament Live with the aforementioned live streamed from the main sessions, also containing archive material.

Europarl’s existing EP Live effort is a bit of a mish-mash that doesn’t even work on my machine. The parliament says the web is “much more cost-effective than a traditional broadcast channel”. Release.