BT and Tiscali ruffle their IPTV feathers
Monday, May 14th, 2007Broadband + TV providers remind customers of their existence
As the broadband ISP market continues to converge and condense, two of the main players in this market, BT and Tiscali, both quietly branched into the digital TV market last year by launching a combined broadband internet/on-demand TV services.
Tiscali, who took over the successful Homechoice platform which broadcast in London last year, have recently re-launched their on-demand service which allows broadband customers can download TV programmes and movies to rent or own from their site. The announcement of the services comes just after a deal had been sealed with Arts Alliance Media – the same film distribution company which supplies Channel 4 with content for their 4oD on-demand service – and is set to attract even more revenue for Tiscali, in addition to the cash they are set to reap from the 60,000+ customers who have signed up for Tiscali broadband since January.
The agreement now sees PC users able to choose from a growing archive of films, documentaries, sporting events which currently totals to over 500. Mac users can’t sign up for this just yet, but it is highly likely that this will be rectified in the future, maybe in time for July this year, when Tiscali are set to unveil a shiny new HD set-top box.
In response to this, BT, who are currently enjoying a dominant position as the UK’s number one supplier of broadband internet services, have just launched a national ad campaign to promote BT Vision, the hybrid IPTV service that streams DTT channels through an aerial and set-top box a la Freeview, and allows for on-demand content to be downloaded via a Broadband connection via BT’s better known Home Hub, which then wirelessly routes content to the decoder.
BT Vision’s HD-ready V-Box – not to be confused with Virgin Media’s HD enabled V+ Box – combines an EPG with a PVR which can record up to 80 hours of content, and is available free to BT Broadband customers, after one-off connection and installation charges which total at £90. There is no monthly subscription charge, besides the cost of whatever on-demand content you choose to watch, the cost of which will be added to your total monthly bill alongside your broadband and line rental charges.
Both of these packages differ from the main pay-TV platforms in that essentially you only pay for what you watch – direct payments based on what you download is more flexible than a mandatory monthly bill, something which BT and Tiscali, who are now in direct competition with Sky and Virgin in more than one market, hope will pull in customers who want more choice than what is currently available on Freeview, but don’t want to be roped into paying for a subscription service.
Whether these two relatively new kids on the block can square up to the big lads in the marketplace remains to be seen, but should make for interesting viewing nonetheless.
Oh, and in case you didn’t hear, Salisbury City held out until the dying seconds of the game yesterday to claim a 1-0 victory over Braintree, cementing their position at the top of the Conference and ensuring promotion for next season.
