Chris Forrester, on 18-09-2008

BSkyB has raised concerns over the BBC-backed Kangaroo scheme, which will offer an online “catch up” TV service to consumers and is being run by Ashley Highfield (pictured, left), formerly the BBC’s head of future media and technology.

Besides the BBC, the Kangaroo consortium contains ITV and Channel 4. Sky’s objection is that the service potentially removes the need for viewers to watch the dozens of channels on the Sky Digital platform that contains repeated – or classic – programming.

Sky is not alone in objecting to the Competition Commission which is carrying out an investigation of the scheme. British Telecom and Tiscali (the old Home Choice offering) are also objecting on similar terms. Sky is arguing that Kangaroo “might be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition” and its public service backers give the service a unique advantage. “Kangaroo’s existence may reduce the likelihood of VOD offerings by existing competitors and potentially decrease the likelihood of new entry,” Sky said in its submission.

The BBC (and ITV and Channel 4) already have their own stand-alone download services, but Kangaroo would bring all these services together under one operation. The initial concept was that Kangaroo would be a direct reponse to the Joost and Babelgum projects.

Kangaroo was intended to launch this past June but has become bogged down within the regulator’s examinations. Incidentally, Kangaroo is just a working name for the plan, and other names rumoured to be under consideration include ‘SeeSaw’.

The BBC’s current iPlayer service has been hugely successful but only offers access to around 400 hours of content, drawn from the previous seven days’ transmissions. Kangaroo has in mind offering 10,000 hours of content drawn from the UK’s four major networks.

Highfield was one of the BBC’s highest-paid executives (£466,000) and joined Kangaroo earlier this summer.

Source: Rapid TV News 2008

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