Canvas confirmed for 2011, Talk Talk plans bundled offering

Project Canvas chief technology officer Anthony Rose has confirmed that the UK connected TV service will launch sometime in the first half of next year.

Speaking at the Intel Shaping the Future of TV conference in London, Rose said that Canvas will not be made available to smart-phones or other devices, but will be focused on the TV, at least initially, primarily because of rights issues.

Despite earlier expectations that Canvas could launch this year, the complexity of securing approval and coordinating the various parties involved have meant that a 2011 launch is now a certainty.

Separately, one of the Canvas joint venture partners, ISP Talk Talk, is set to offer the service free as part of a broadband subscription package, according to UK press reports. Speaking at the IEA Future of Broadcasting conference, Talk Talk’s senior director of TV Max Alexander told The Telegraph newspaper that giving the set-top away for free as part of bundled packages made sense.

 

 

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