BBC launches Project Canvas consultation

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BBC launches Project Canvas consultation

By Julian Clover | February 26, 2009 | 11:43 UK

The BBC has launched a public consultation on Project Canvas, the corporation’s proposals for an IPTV platform, which would allow viewers to watch on demand content such as the iPlayer directly through their television sets.

The BBC proposal is aimed at bringing its investment to the entire public broadcasting sector, so it is likely that its Freesat partner ITV, along with Channel 4 and Five would also benefit, bringing their own catch-up TV services to an installed base that would also include both Freesat and Freeview receivers. It is possible that many of the 200,000 Freesat boxes already in the market might be capable of delivering the service.

The officially sanctioned devices would cost between £100 and £200 when they are launched in 2010. Viewers would need to be connected to the internet through their own ISP and pay any broadband access charges.

Taking Project Canvas live would cost the BBC 6m over the next five years rising to £16.6m when Freesat costs are taken into account.

The BBC Executive has estimated that initial devices would cost consumers in the range of £100-200 at launch in 2010. In order to access on-demand services, users would also have to pay their internet service providers for broadband access.

The BBC Executive has applied to the BBC Trust for its permission to form a joint venture partnership, which would set and promote a common standard for delivering on-demand TV and other internet content through a broadband connected device. The Trust, which will have the ultimate say on the proposals, will now launch two periods of public consultation with the first reporting in the summer.