ITV, BT Join BBC’s Project Canvas, Teaming For Open VOD IPTV
ITV (LSE: ITV) and BT (NYSE: BT) are teaming with the BBC to work on an open industry standard for on-demand TV over broadband to the living room - the latest example of a partnership approach to VOD.
They are essentially signing up to Project Canvas, Erik Huggers’ grand idea for a common VOD IPTV standard on set-top boxes that allows all content makers to add their shows and widgets. But today’s announcement isn’t referring to “Canvas” as the trio are reluctant to push another “project” name out there, following Project Kangaroo and ITV.com’s latest redesign task Project Penguin.
The trio want to create “new generation of subscription-free devices, carrying free to air channels and a huge selection of on demand TV services like iPlayer and ITV Player”. In theory, that could open the door to other platforms like Joost, Babelgum and Vuze being available on the same living room TV set - approaching the holy grail of unified internet TV. It would be open to “all public service broadcasters, device developers and other ISPs”.
The partners want a wider number of partners by launch. When will that be? Huggers told October’s Mipcom: “Say a year, a year and a half, if everything’s approved.” Canvas would require approval from the BBC Trust (yes, here we go again). There’s less risk of Canvas being struck down by regulators as it’s being heavily pitched as an open consortium, not a commercial entity.
Clearly, BT has a lot to gain from this - the partners are stressing Canvas would be an open standard available for addition by any set-top box maker, but, with Orange and Tiscali’s IPTV efforts waning, BT would gain the early opportunity to make its BT Vision box in to the most popular on-ramp for both broadcast and on-demand internet video. BT Vision recently added ITV VOD shows but doesn’t yet have iPlayer. Virgin Media (NSDQ: VMED) currently operates the UK’s most popular VOD TV service, but it’s a single platform; its content is limited to broadcasters who are signed up and excludes online video.
The trust is already waiting to look over the final Kangaroo proposal, after BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have redrafted the plan for the competition commission. The broadcasters have already partnered for commercial VOD on the desktop, and the BBC is offering iPlayer technology to the other two for their seven-day catch-up. Project Canvas is likely to mean the inclusion of both Kangaroo’s commercial ad-funded and PPV and the public-service VOD on the same box.
The trio today say the project forms part of the BBC’s wider partnership proposals - which may mean it was included in Auntie’s submission to Ofcom’s public service broadcast review, due to be concluded soon.
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@robertandrews
Dec 11, 2008 8:00 AM ET
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