bbc

The BBC has announced the line-up of content that will be available through its red-button interactive TV service for the next two weeks:

The BBC has unveiled its multiplatform/interactive TV coverage plans for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. According to the corporation:

The BBC announced last week that its online catch-up service, the BBC iPlayer, has achieved a new monthly record, having for the first time generated over 100 million requests. The service is now available on over 20 devices, and the BBC says that the last two weeks of December saw a huge increase in the number of people accessing it through a games console: according to the corporation, one in eight of all iPlayer TV show requests is now coming from either a Nintendo Wii or Sony PS3 console, representing a 74% increase over November.

The BBC has announced the line-up of content that will be available through its red-button interactive TV service for the next two weeks

Cable MSO, Charter Communications, has launched an "on-demand reminder service" that sends customers text or email reminders, alerting them to new movie releases, events and premieres available on its VOD platform. Customers can register to receive the reminders, which are based on both title and category searches, at http://www.charter.net/reminders.

As expected, the BBC governing body, the BBC Trust, has provisionally approved the BBC's further participation in Project Canvas, an initiative on which the corporation is partnering with UK public service broadcasters, ITV, Channel 4 and Five, and UK ISP's, BT and Talk Talk, in order to attempt to develop a common standard and interface for the delivery of online catch-up services such as the BBC iPlayer, the ITV player and 4oD, as well as other Internet-based services (including VOD and interactive TV widgets), to broadband-connected Freeview and Freesat set-top boxes (note: the partn

The BBC has announced the line-up of content that will be available through its red-button interactive TV service over Christmas and into the new year:

IP Vision--a company, backed by French set-top box vendor, Netgem, which currently offers a hybrid set-top box, called the FetchTV SmartBox, that combines reception of linear channels from the UK's free-to-air digital terrestrial platform, Freeview, with OTT access to pay-per-view and subscription-based online VOD services, as well as to free, online programming catch-up services such as the BBC iPlayer (note: the company says that the box--which can be connected to any broadband access service--will support BSkyB's Sky Player service early next year)--last week announced plans to offer its FetchTV platform on third-party set-tops

UK commercial terrestrial broadcaster, Channel 4, and ISP, Talk Talk (which, among other things, operates the UK's Tiscali TV IPTV service), have become members of Project Canvas, joining the BBC, UK commercial terrestrial broadcasters ITV and Five, and UK incumbent telco BT, in the project, which is seeking to develop a common standard and interface for the delivery of online catch-up services such as the BBC iPlayer and the ITV player, as well as other Internet-based VOD services, to broadband-connected Freeview and Freesat set-top boxes (note: Freeview and Freesat are the UK's free-to-air digital ter

The BBC said Tuesday that 2009 has been the most successful year to date for its BBC Red Button interactive TV service, with an average of over 11 million viewers pressing the red button each week, and with more content launched through the service than ever before.

The BBC has announced the line-up of content that will be available through its red-button interactive TV service this week:

UK-based consumer electronics company, Cello Electronics, on Wednesday announced the launch of a line of LCD HDTV sets, called iViewer, that allow users to stream the BBC iPlayer--as well as a range of other broadband video services (note: in its promotional materials for the new devices, the company mentions YouTube--which recently signed deals to offer full-length programming from UK terrestrial broadcasters, Channel 4 and Five--Disney Movies Preview, Movie Rush, Autocar, Sky Sports "Boots n' All," the CNN daily video podcast, Jamie's Ministry of Food, Delicious TV Veg, Revision3, Diggnation and the Larry King video podcast)--directly, without the need for a set-top box or games console.

In a posting on the BBC Internet blog, Monday, BBC Future Media & Technology's head of user experience and accessibility, Jonathan Hassell, announced the launch of Us5, a series of interactive online videos that have been created "by, for and with" people with learning difficulties/developmental disabilities, in order to "help them think through one of the biggest issues affecting them at the moment--the opening up of more choices to them resulting from the government's move to direct payments, individual budgets and self-directed support. People with learning difficulties have never before been so able to choose for themselves how they live their lives and what they want to do," Hassell's blog posting continued.

Here is a round-up of some other interactive TV-related stories we didn't have room for in this issue:

UK incumbent telco, BT, said Tuesday that it has signed a VOD deal with NBC Universal International Television that will make a number of the latter's shows available on BT Vision, the telco's Microsoft Mediaroom-powered, interactive TV-enabled hybrid IPTV service (note: the service is enabled via a hybrid set-top box that allows viewers to access linear channels from the UK's free-to-air digital terrestrial platform, Freeview, alongside IP-delivered on-demand and interactive content).