So BT is hoping that its upcoming IPTV (and online) service Vision will be able to convert all those disillusioned Freeview customers. BT’s CEO of TV services Dan Marks says here that Freeview is a useful introduction to digital TV - reckoning that about 50 per cent of the UK subscribe to some form of TV service - and sees BT Vision as the next step for viewers who want more choice and control. That means catch-up TV (Vision uses a PVR-capable Freeview box and a DSL line) and BT is talking to broadcasters about that. Marc Watson, BT Vision’s new commercial director: “We are looking at the benefits of that for our consumers; they will have access to a PVR, but catch-up TV arguably offers a little bit above that in terms of customer convenience. We are deep in discussions with those broadcasters as we speak.”
Vision signed with four UK indies last week. Content will be cross-genre and the quality must be high, said Watson—on demand must be good enough for there to be a demand. He made some curious noises about how BT will pitch the whole thing: “Clearly our message has something to do with Freeview, something to do with BT and with the trust and size and confidence people have in the company. It has something to do with the content and it has something to do with the functionality. But as to how we distil those messages, I am going to be a little circumspect until we launch.”
Rafat: BT’s online movie download store for its Vision service is online now, here. It offers movies and content from all the content players it has signed up with till now...the store is powered by Entriq (one of our long-time advertisers).