Kangaroo (video on demand)

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Kangaroo was the working title for a proposed video on demand platform offering content from BBC Worldwide (the commercial arm of the BBC), ITV.com and Channel 4's 4oD (collectively UK VOD LLP), initially expected to launch in 2008, but blocked by the Competition Commission in 2009.[1][2] Following the Commission's rejection of the bid, the technology platform was put up for sale. The bidders included Orange (who pulled out)[3] and Arqiva [4]. The project was bought by Arqiva for about 8 million pounds [5] on the 23 July 2009 and promising to launch in the 'coming months'[6].

The project was launched under the SeeSaw (VOD) brand in November 2009.

[edit] The Original Project Kangaroo

Unlike the BBC iPlayer, which is publicly funded and has no plans to carry any paid content, Kangaroo would have allowed users to purchase content from a large back catalogue. As noted below, the plan to link to content on BBC iPlayer means that it would have provided a single broadband VOD service for the key three broadcasters in the UK. It should be noted that Kangaroo is the project name; the final name and brand of the service was never announced, but it was believed it would have been known as SeeSaw.[2] The evidence it was to be called See Saw includes the DNS record for seesaw.co.uk [7] which shows it is owned by UK VOD LLP, designs on Ostmodern's website show the brand name in the footer [8] and the registered trademark showing the name and the same logo as is on the design mockups [9]. As of 1 Oct 2009, the DNS record is attributed to Arqiva, suggesting the name SeeSaw shall indeed be used upon release.

The three networks behind the project would continue to offer content independently of the service, with ITV and Channel 4 planning to offer catch up services through their own websites, and the BBC saying that it will not replace the iPlayer, but content from the iPlayer would be "listed within" the new service.[10] However, it was expected that 4oD would be subsumed into Kangaroo.[11] Capablue were the lead consultants on the project. The site was designed by Ostmodern and developed by ioko.[12]

It was announced on 14 April 2008 that Ashley Highfield, Director of Future Media and Technology at the BBC, had been appointed the CEO of Kangaroo.[13] Ashley Highfield has now left the project, and has gone to Microsoft.[14]

On 30 June 2008, the UK's Office of Fair Trading referred the proposal to the Competition Commission with concerns that "there was a danger that the platform could be too powerful".[15] The Commission published an interim report on 03 December saying that the service could "hurt competition"[16] and a final report was published on 04 February 2009, formally blocking the project.[17]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Broadcasters to launch joint VoD service". The Guardian. 2007-11-27. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/27/bbc.itv. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  2. ^ a b "SeeSaw selected as name of video-on-demand service". Media Week accessdate=2008-05-13. 2008-05-13. http://www.brandrepublic.com/MediaPmBulletin/News/808546/SeeSaw-selected-name-video-on-demand-service/?DCMP=EMC-Media%20PM%20Bulletin. 
  3. ^ "Orange pulls out of talks to buy Project Kangaroo technology". 2009-05-19. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/may/19/project-kangaroo-orange. Retrieved 2009-07-19. 
  4. ^ "TV Tech Firm Arqiva Interested In Kangaroo’s Technology". 2009-05-28. http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-report-tv-tech-firm-arqiva-in-kangaroo-remains-bid/. Retrieved 2009-07-19. 
  5. ^ {{cite publishers=The Guardian | accessdate=2009-07-24 | date=2009-07-24 | title=Arqiva understood to have paid about £8m for Project Kangaroo assets | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jul/24/arqiva-project-kangaroo }}
  6. ^ . 2009-07-23. http://www.arqiva.com/press-office/press-releases/press-releases-2009/arqiva-to-acquire-project-kangaroo-platform-assets. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
  7. ^ "DNS record for seesaw.co.uk". http://webwhois.nic.uk/cgi-bin/whois.cgi?query=seesaw.co.uk&WHOIS+Submit.x=0&WHOIS+Submit.y=0. Retrieved 2009-07-19. 
  8. ^ "Design mock up". http://www.ostmodern.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Kangaroo_2.png. Retrieved 2009-07-19. 
  9. ^ ""See Saw trademark on IPO website". http://www.ipo.gov.uk/domestic?domesticnum=2502476. Retrieved 2009-07-19. 
  10. ^ "Project Kangaroo leaps closer to reality". The Stage. 2007-11-27. http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/2007/11/project-kangaroo-leaps-closer-to-reality/. Retrieved 2009-02-14. 
  11. ^ "Key 4oD exec to leave Channel 4". Digital Spy. 2007-12-02. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/a80981/key-4od-exec-to-leave-channel-4.html. Retrieved 2008-01-13. 
  12. ^ "VoD: Five left on the sidelines". The Guardian. 2007-11-27. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/27/bbc.channelfive. 
  13. ^ "Ashley Highfield appointed as CEO of Kangaroo". BBC Worldwide Press Releases. 2008-04-14. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2008/04_april/ashley_highfield_kangaroo.shtml. Retrieved 2008-04-14. 
  14. ^ "Microsoft poaches Ashley Highfield from BBC, Channel 4 and ITV joint internet venture". Telegraph.co.uk. 2008-11-25. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/3437854/Microsoft-poaches-Ashley-Highfield-from-BBC-Channel-4-and-ITV-joint-internet-venture.html. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
  15. ^ BBC NEWS | Business | Probe of video-on-demand venture
  16. ^ BBC NEWS | Entertainment | On-demand video 'not competitive'
  17. ^ Competition Commission News Release
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