Posted: 17th Jan, 2011 By: MarkJ


A crucial subscription-free broadband video-on-demand and catch-up TV ( IPTV ) service for the UK, YouView (
Project Canvas), has reportedly been
delayed by up to six months. The service, which both TalkTalk and BT were planning to offer alongside their internet access products, was originally due to launch by summer 2011 but might not see the light of day until early 2012.
The
Daily Mail claims that YouView, a
Joint Venture (JV) between the BBC , ITV , BT , TalkTalk , Channel 4, five and Arqiva, has suffered a number of internal setbacks. These include
unspecified technical problems and some degree of
infighting between several of the partners that could be related to its high costs.
In addition to
High Definition (HD) TV and
Personal Video Recording (PVR), YouView
Set-Top-Boxes (estimated to cost between £100 to £200) will contain a range of catch-up and on-demand content that previously could only be found on a computer, or bought through a subscription service.
Viewers will be able to go backwards as well as forwards in the programme guide, seamlessly accessing catch-up services such as
BBC iPlayer,
ITV Player ,
4oD ,
Demand Five and
SeeSaw to view shows that they might have missed. YouView also plans to open an applications store which will feature a wide range of applications to enhance the viewing experience.
The service is supposed to provide an affordable and "
open-standard" alternative for consumers who aren't keen to pay higher prices for TV content, such as from Sky ( Sky Broadband ) or Virgin Media UK. However any delay would cause havoc to both BT and Talk Talk's plans. At present those are the only two ISPs, which we know of, that were planning to offer a YouView based service.
However both BT and YouView still "
hope to launch this Summer", although YouView itself has admitted that the timetable is now "
under review". We still expect to see YouView launch by the end of this year, just don't be surprised if it surfaces a little late.